Colts take Jonathan Taylor RB

[BornHoosier]

On 4/24/2020 at 7:54 PM, esmort said:

Better players at better positions were there ..smh

926 attempts, 6174 yds, 6.7 ypa, 50 tds!  I agree, were all shaking our heads at these comments but it's a matter of time before Taylor becomes a fan favorite.  I thought Mack was fast coming out of College but...

 

Mack - 4.5 40 yd dash

Taylor - 4.39 40 yd dash

[BornHoosier]

On 4/24/2020 at 8:13 PM, ColtStrong2013 said:

I like the player. I do. I watched a lot of Wisconsin football the last few years. Every game I expected Taylor to do something just off the charts silly. Much like Saquon Barkley (I’m a big ten guy). I always thought I couldn’t take my eyes off when Penn State had the ball for fear that I’d miss whatever Barkley was about to do next. I felt the same way with Taylor and Wisconsin. I think with the way we have emphasized the running game, we needed a strong 2nd back, and with the talk of Mack not being extended, it was getting to be necessary. I like the pick. I just don’t care for giving a 5th round pick to move up. But they obviously valued it and had insight on the Jags or whatever it was to make the necessary move. 

I'm a Big10 guy myself and love the fact this guy continued to have success even know teams continued to stack the box.  Lets be honest, Wisconsin's passing attack didn't put the fear in any team they played but Taylor scared the living crap out of them.  

 

Taylor - 926 attempts, 6174 yds, 6.7 ypa, 50 tds, 4.39 40 yd dash.  Played in a tough conf.

Mack - 586 attempts, 3609 yds, 6.2 ypa, 32 tds, 4.50 40 yd dash.  Played in a small conf.

[ColtStrong2013]

2 hours ago, BornHoosier said:

I'm a Big10 guy myself and love the fact this guy continued to have success even know teams continued to stack the box.  Lets be honest, Wisconsin's passing attack didn't put the fear in any team they played but Taylor scared the living crap out of them.  

 

Taylor - 926 attempts, 6174 yds, 6.7 ypa, 50 tds, 4.39 40 yd dash.  Played in a tough conf.

Mack - 586 attempts, 3609 yds, 6.2 ypa, 32 tds, 4.50 40 yd dash.  Played in a small conf.

And some big time big ten defenses stacking the box at that....

[WoolMagnet]

On 4/25/2020 at 12:22 PM, coming on strong said:

wow off by two hahaha so funny.   being concerned over having a 39 year old QB who threw 20 picks last year and went 5-11 with a ton of weapons is funny?     how many running backs play 16 full games?  it is a devalued position for a reason when teams like the 49ers can get a guy who was cut multiple times to be a stud .     during 2006- 2009 rivers had a good defense weapons and running game and still 0 rings .  rivers is the most overrated QB of all time .

You really nailed your forum name.

Well done.

Can’t say you didn’t warn us.

[csmopar]

14 hours ago, BornHoosier said:

926 attempts, 6174 yds, 6.7 ypa, 50 tds!  I agree, were all shaking our heads at these comments but it's a matter of time before Taylor becomes a fan favorite.  I thought Mack was fast coming out of College but...

 

Mack - 4.5 40 yd dash

Taylor - 4.39 40 yd dash

I posted this in another thread but i think it fits here too.

 

you know, i was kind of meh at first with Taylor, but i spent the last couple days, periodically watching film from him, good and bad. I think this might be a bit premature, but I think he's got the potential to be a MJD type of guy for us. Behind our OL, with his skill set and strength, dude has potential for sure. I'm starting to really like the move to be honest.

However, I will caution, 3 years, 900+ carries is what concerns me. If you look at top stud RBs taken lately, Barkely, Elliot, even Mack, none of them had that high of mileage.

Barkely, over 3 years, had 671 carries, 3843 yards, 5.7 ypc, 43 TDs

Elliot over 3 years, had 592 carries, 3961 yards, 6.7 ypc, 43 TDs

Mack, over 3 years, had 586 carries, 3609 yards, 6.2 ypc, 32 TD

 

Taylor... 3 years,  926 carries, 6,174 yards. average, 6.7 yards per carry, 50 TDs.

Furthermore, he rushed for 1977 yards, 2194 and 2003 yards per year respectively. incredible numbers when you compare them to the 3 above but still, thats a LOT of mileage on a RB.  And that's not even looking at his receiving stats.

[Stephen]

3 minutes ago, csmopar said:

I posted this in another thread but i think it fits here too.

 

you know, i was kind of meh at first with Taylor, but i spent the last couple days, periodically watching film from him, good and bad. I think this might be a bit premature, but I think he's got the potential to be a MJD type of guy for us. Behind our OL, with his skill set and strength, dude has potential for sure. I'm starting to really like the move to be honest.

However, I will caution, 3 years, 900+ carries is what concerns me. If you look at top stud RBs taken lately, Barkely, Elliot, even Mack, none of them had that high of mileage.

Barkely, over 3 years, had 671 carries, 3843 yards, 5.7 ypc, 43 TDs

Elliot over 3 years, had 592 carries, 3961 yards, 6.7 ypc, 43 TDs

Mack, over 3 years, had 586 carries, 3609 yards, 6.2 ypc, 32 TD

 

Taylor... 3 years,  926 carries, 6,174 yards. average, 6.7 yards per carry, 50 TDs.

Furthermore, he rushed for 1977 yards, 2194 and 2003 yards per year respectively. incredible numbers when you compare them to the 3 above but still, thats a LOT of mileage on a RB.  And that's not even looking at his receiving stats.

He is around what Lt, herschel  walker,michael turner had. He'll be fine

[csmopar]

8 minutes ago, Stephen said:

He is around what Lt, herschel  walker,michael turner had. He'll be fine

maybe, but still, its some of the highest mileage of an RB taken in recent times

[Coffeedrinker]

14 minutes ago, csmopar said:

I posted this in another thread but i think it fits here too.

 

you know, i was kind of meh at first with Taylor, but i spent the last couple days, periodically watching film from him, good and bad. I think this might be a bit premature, but I think he's got the potential to be a MJD type of guy for us. Behind our OL, with his skill set and strength, dude has potential for sure. I'm starting to really like the move to be honest.

However, I will caution, 3 years, 900+ carries is what concerns me. If you look at top stud RBs taken lately, Barkely, Elliot, even Mack, none of them had that high of mileage.

Barkely, over 3 years, had 671 carries, 3843 yards, 5.7 ypc, 43 TDs

Elliot over 3 years, had 592 carries, 3961 yards, 6.7 ypc, 43 TDs

Mack, over 3 years, had 586 carries, 3609 yards, 6.2 ypc, 32 TD

 

Taylor... 3 years,  926 carries, 6,174 yards. average, 6.7 yards per carry, 50 TDs.

Furthermore, he rushed for 1977 yards, 2194 and 2003 yards per year respectively. incredible numbers when you compare them to the 3 above but still, thats a LOT of mileage on a RB.  And that's not even looking at his receiving stats.

I am betting the Colts don't care much about the number of carries, because I don't think they want a franchise running back, they want a good running back that will play through his rookie contract.  In 3 or 4 years, they will draft another running back in the first couple of rounds and let Taylor walk.  Just speculation on my part.

[stitches]

 

[Stephen]

2 minutes ago, csmopar said:

maybe, but still, its some of the highest mileage of an RB taken in recent times

Not about mileage. It's  about having good vision  and patience  and taking  care of your body. That's  how emmit smith lasted so long

Just now, stitches said:

 

No swift on list

[csmopar]

1 minute ago, stitches said:

 

is that his run grade or blocking grade?

[pgt_rob]

This is going to be fun to watch.

[stitches]

58 minutes ago, csmopar said:

is that his run grade or blocking grade?

The total grade I think .. 

[waka waka]

On 4/27/2020 at 12:11 AM, crazycolt1 said:

Taylor had 299 carries in 2017, 307 in 2018 and 320 in 2019. 

So is 18 fumbles out of 926 carries really that bad? 

Some of how he carries the ball attribute to the fumbles but if you go back and look at the tape a good share came on plays not solely his fault. QB on an option play. One he caught a ball one handed on a bad throw and a defender had a great angle to jar it loose. I'm sure the scouts werent overly concerned. His freshman year he had more fumbles but looks like it got better each year.

[PrideOfAthens17]

Here's the only thing regarding the number of carries. At least as long as Mack is here, I seriously doubt he gets close to the 300+ carries a year that he had in college. I could be wrong, but I just don't see that happening with both guys splitting snaps. So for at least his rookie year, and maybe longer, number of carries shouldn't be an issue.

[CR91]

 

[w87r]

On 4/28/2020 at 10:22 AM, csmopar said:

is that his run grade or blocking grade?

I think it is his Run Grade with the Colts blocking grade.

 

In other words, watch out 

[ThinBlueLineColts]

On 4/28/2020 at 9:18 AM, Coffeedrinker said:

I am betting the Colts don't care much about the number of carries, because I don't think they want a franchise running back, they want a good running back that will play through his rookie contract.  In 3 or 4 years, they will draft another running back in the first couple of rounds and let Taylor walk.  Just speculation on my part.

I forgot who said it but it’s pretty much what you said. It was something along the lines of not drafting him for 2028, he’s being drafted for what he can do now. Also a difference in being hit and being tackled. Watch the new episode of With the Next Pick..they looved Taylor. Ballard seemed very giddy and not just cause they both Badgers. 

[AZColt11]

On 4/28/2020 at 10:18 AM, Coffeedrinker said:

I am betting the Colts don't care much about the number of carries, because I don't think they want a franchise running back, they want a good running back that will play through his rookie contract.  In 3 or 4 years, they will draft another running back in the first couple of rounds and let Taylor walk.  Just speculation on my part.

This.  The RB position is still important but there isn't the learning curve that there is at other positions.  You can have a rookie come in right away and dominate.  So they will hope he is really good for 4 seasons, draft his replacement, and then let him walk before they have to break the bank.  That's life in the NFL.  So the fact that he has a lot of mileage on his legs won't really be a factor because the Colts likely won't have him long enough to see it's effects.

 

What REALLY stands out to me is Taylor's yards after contact.  This guy reminds me a lot of Barkley coming out.  The instincts, vision, yac, and speed.  What Barkley probably demonstrated better coming out was his hands, but Taylor just hasn't really had much of an opportunity yet.

[chad72]

Taylor’s lack of catching passes in college is not far from Mack’s? How can we assume he’s going to be any different from Mack as 3 down back? That’s the thing that has scratching my head. 

[CR91]

3 minutes ago, chad72 said:

Taylor’s lack of catching passes in college is not far from Mack’s? How can we assume he’s going to be any different from Mack as 3 down back? That’s the thing that has scratching my head. 

 

Well he was basically Wisconsin's offense so they didn't really need to throw him the ball.

 

[CR91]

 

[Coffeedrinker]

9 hours ago, chad72 said:

Taylor’s lack of catching passes in college is not far from Mack’s? How can we assume he’s going to be any different from Mack as 3 down back? That’s the thing that has scratching my head. 

I don't know Chad, it seems like it was more the Badgers didn't throw to him not that he was not good at receiving out the backfield.  When you look at the few catches he did have, he seem to run good, albeit simple, routes, he caught the ball away from his body and, the biggest thing IMO, is after catching the ball he turned and got his shoulders square to the endzone very quickly.

[Thunderbolt]

He's fumbles can be corrected.  Remember Tiki  Barber use to fumble a lot, but was corrected and went on to a productive year....Rathman(running back coach) will help Taylor correct his flaws...I believe we have a gem in our organization that will be productive for years.  He's name will be in the circle of ring at the LOS like the Edge....

[Myles]

6 minutes ago, Thunderbolt said:

He's fumbles can be corrected.  Remember Tiki  Barber use to fumble a lot, but was corrected and went on to a productive year....Rathman(running back coach) will help Taylor correct his flaws...I believe we have a gem in our organization that will be productive for years.  He's name will be in the circle of ring at the LOS like the Edge....

I disagree with that just because I think he'll only be in Indy for 4 years.  He'll split carries with Mack in 2020 and probably split carries in his 4th season.   I'm all on board with drafting a RB every 4 years.  

[BornHoosier]

On 4/28/2020 at 10:02 AM, csmopar said:

I posted this in another thread but i think it fits here too.

 

you know, i was kind of meh at first with Taylor, but i spent the last couple days, periodically watching film from him, good and bad. I think this might be a bit premature, but I think he's got the potential to be a MJD type of guy for us. Behind our OL, with his skill set and strength, dude has potential for sure. I'm starting to really like the move to be honest.

However, I will caution, 3 years, 900+ carries is what concerns me. If you look at top stud RBs taken lately, Barkely, Elliot, even Mack, none of them had that high of mileage.

Barkely, over 3 years, had 671 carries, 3843 yards, 5.7 ypc, 43 TDs

Elliot over 3 years, had 592 carries, 3961 yards, 6.7 ypc, 43 TDs

Mack, over 3 years, had 586 carries, 3609 yards, 6.2 ypc, 32 TD

 

Taylor... 3 years,  926 carries, 6,174 yards. average, 6.7 yards per carry, 50 TDs.

Furthermore, he rushed for 1977 yards, 2194 and 2003 yards per year respectively. incredible numbers when you compare them to the 3 above but still, thats a LOT of mileage on a RB.  And that's not even looking at his receiving stats.

I hated the pick at first mainly because I'm a huge Mack fan and didn't understand the need at such a high pick.  After mulling it over a couple days and watching vids, I am now estatic we got Taylor and feel he could be the BellCow we all been waiting for.  I understand the mileage he racked up in College to put all those numbers but the kid never missed a game while logging those miles.  With that said, I see his window only being 6-8 yrs in the league but those 6-8 yrs can be All Pro Status!!!  From all I read, Taylor is a professional with a professional work ethic that should translate to great things with this OL.  Only question, how much tread is left on the tires!!!

[BornHoosier]

5 hours ago, Myles said:

I disagree with that just because I think he'll only be in Indy for 4 years.  He'll split carries with Mack in 2020 and probably split carries in his 4th season.   I'm all on board with drafting a RB every 4 years.  

I agree with you and will add to the fact that no team wants to pay rb's past their rookie contracts as it's too easy to find a replacement in the draft.  I will say that if Taylor becomes the Man Beast we all expect him to be, it will be a hard decision to not resign him but lets cross that bridge when we get there!!!  Great 4yrs are ahead for sure Colts fans.

[Dogg63]

Taylor was a beast against Purdue in the 3 games he played them: 30 carries for 219 yards, 33 carries for 321 yards, 28 carries for 222 yards.

 

Other tidbits (not my research):

In 41 career games at Wisconsin, 19 times he had at least 15 carries, while also averaging at least 7 ypc. In Indianapolis Colts history (575 games), the Colts have had that occur 11 times.

 

Wow

[LockeDown]

Reich wants a top 5 running game. We have the Oline now so why not grab a top college RB every few years to take advantage of it? I don’t have a problem with it as long as the guy we pick is good and Taylor seems really good.

[AZColt11]

5 hours ago, LockeDown said:

Reich wants a top 5 running game. We have the Oline now so why not grab a top college RB every few years to take advantage of it? I don’t have a problem with it as long as the guy we pick is good and Taylor seems really good.

Yep.  I think this is the way it is going to be around the league now, at least until the running game comes back in vogue.  Teams are more reluctant to sign RB's coming off that rookie contract, even if highly productive, but more likely to retain their top WR and QB.  It used to be a foregone conclusion you would re-sign them if they were any good.  Not anymore.  We saw the delay in Dallas getting Elliott resigned, albeit they eventually did.  But teams like Tennessee and SD have NOT resigned their bell-cows.  Henry led the NFL in rushing but was only given a tender which he signed.  No long-term deal.  SD jettisoned Gordon.  The Panthers did re-sign McCaffrey.  It will be interesting to see what the Browns do with Chubb (2nd in NFL), the Saints with Kamara, and of course the Colts with Mack.  I would bet at least two of those three don't get a long-term deal.  Too many productive (and cheap) ones coming out in the draft.

[Stephen]

7 hours ago, LockeDown said:

Reich wants a top 5 running game. We have the Oline now so why not grab a top college RB every few years to take advantage of it? I don’t have a problem with it as long as the guy we pick is good and Taylor seems really good.

If we not a top 5 rushing team now not sure what more we could do 

[Iron Colt]

Anonymous exec didn't like the pick and was shocked Ballard traded up for him.

[WoolMagnet]

UPDATE:

An Anonymous source has said that the “anonymous executive” in the recent article about an exec who doesn’t like the Taylor pick is none other than Bill O’Brien, the genius behind the Texans.  It has therefore been determined that the original article is not worth further inspection.

More at 11.......

[crazycolt1]

16 minutes ago, WoolMagnet said:

UPDATE:

An Anonymous source has said that the “anonymous executive” in the recent article about an exec who doesn’t like the Taylor pick is none other than Bill O’Brien, the genius behind the Texans.  It has therefore been determined that the original article is not worth further inspection.

More at 11.......

An UPDATE to the UPDATE::  

    David Caldwell is the culprit. 

    He is very upset with Ballard for trading up and taking Taylor. He said "Now I have to deal with Fournette" 

[AZColt11]

3 hours ago, Iron Colt said:

Anonymous exec didn't like the pick and was shocked Ballard traded up for him.

Yeah I think what is fishy about that report is that this exec supposedly didn't think Taylor was very good after contact, which is exactly the opposite impression I got watching him.  He did however mention his penchant for fumbling, which is true.  But this guy can break tackles and gets a lot of yac.

[Thunderbolt]

I think we'll keep him beyond his rookie contract and he'll break Emmitt Smith's rushing record as a Colt. GOAT!!

[NewEra]

I miss the days we had with Edge. Would love for Taylor to bring that back and even surpass it. Let's show the haters why RB's are important 

[dodsworth]

On 4/28/2020 at 9:20 AM, stitches said:

 

Our run game is gonna be a blast to watch this year with this combination

of our line with Mack n Taylor, or should I say Mack n Cheese since

Taylor played for Wisconsin. 

[dw49]

On 4/30/2020 at 5:15 AM, Coffeedrinker said:

I don't know Chad, it seems like it was more the Badgers didn't throw to him not that he was not good at receiving out the backfield.  When you look at the few catches he did have, he seem to run good, albeit simple, routes, he caught the ball away from his body and, the biggest thing IMO, is after catching the ball he turned and got his shoulders square to the endzone very quickly.

 

I watched a bunch of film on him and he's incredible. Great vision , speed , power and elusiveness. Hits the right hole very quickly. IMO ( I"m no NFL scout ..I know) , he's every bit as good as Barkley who went 2nd last year. The carries should be no big deal as he's said to have a knack for avoiding big hits. Plus he's a smart , courteous kid. There are going to be a lot of teams kicking themselves in the butt for letting him fall to 41. Incredible steal IMO.

 

I heard he caught the ball very well at the combine and found this....

 

Jonathan Taylor stands out among top RBs 

Heading into the combine, Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor was tabbed as the second best running back in CBS Sports' pre-draft rankings. On Friday night, Taylor only strengthened his case to be either the first or second running back selected in this year's draft. 

Taylor, who rushed for 6,174 yards and 50 touchdowns during his three seasons with the Badgers, led all running backs by running a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash. Taylor then put together a strong on-field performance that included several impressive catches out of the backfield, an encouraging sign considering Taylor only caught 42 passes at Wisconsin. Taylor also showed his agility, cutback ability and speed in the open field while putting forth arguably the best performance by a running back on Friday night

[lollygagger8]

Man we haven't a good running/receiving RB since Bradshaw. Remember that goal line money play where Luck would throw to him a 4 yard pass for a TD?? 

 

Some will argue Hines is that back, but the Colts almost telegraph the pass when he's back there, and he's really not that great in between the tackles. 

 

I hope that Taylor is good at receiving (which he seems to be) and Colts offense gets back to throwing to backs out of the backfield. Kinda of like Philly did with McCoy (who would eat up defenses) or forgive me for mentioning Ray Rice. 

 

Really can't wait to see Taylor running behind our O-Line!