After finishing his junior season with 2,003 yards and 21 touchdowns, 2020 NFL Draft running back Jonathan Taylor looks to bring his bruising game to the NFL.
After proving himself to be one of the best pure ball-carriers in college football, Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor will look to become a part of an organization that can use his talents to their fullest capability. Pure power-runners are hard to find on NFL rosters in the modern NFL, but when posting prolific numbers during their college years, it is impossible for all organizations to turn a cold-shoulder within the beginning rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.
LeGarrette Blount, Mark Ingram, and playoff-breakout Derrick Henry have all shown the value of power-backs in the modern NFL. Even with the gradual evolution of football into a passing game, a bruising playstyle on the offensive side still holds high regard in numerous circles. Physicality will never be replaced with aerial production, and a lack of physicality by teams can be seen when their opponent’s defense continues to perform well through the stamina-driven slog that is the third quarter.
In the wise words of former US Olympic Hockey Coach Herb Brooks, “the legs feed the wolf,” and wearing down the ‘legs’ of the opposition creates opportunities for game-breaking plays to open a lead entering the final phase of a football contest. The league of power-backs, and soon to initiate Jonathan Taylor, are the forces of this special group who are best known for tearing down defenses from their base with bruising running and a contact-first mentality.
Even with the evolution of football, the game will always revert back onto itself to find new/forgotten principles of the game that will never lose theirmerit. The newest significant evolution to the game is the mobile-quarterback, and the most recent revival is now the power running game.
Jonathan Taylor applies to the latter of the two and will look to contribute to its revival and solidify power-running as another new NFL offensive staple.
Vision
The vision segment of a running back scouting report revolves around an individual’s understanding of running lanes and letting his blocks form. There are two qualities in reading rushing lanes that come to the forefront in an elite running back: patience & progression.
Patience allows for pulling guards to get into position and give other blockers time to leverage their defenders out of intended rushing lanes. Progression, similarly to a quarterback going through their reads, is about working their way either from the inside out or outside in.
Much of Taylor’s rushing attempts at Wisconsin came between the tackles, attacking the A & B gaps on the interior with physicality and determination. Any running back who is capable of rushing for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in a power-run system between the tackles not only has a quality offensive line but is more than capable of progressing between running lanes and identifying the best rushing lane.
Taylor is not exclusively an inside runner though, capable of following his blocks to the C-gap and busting a play outside. Taylor is not only smart but patient as well. He possesses a unique trust in his linemen to pull ahead of him and let them develop further running lanes, as well as trust his backside blockers to cover him from behind.
In Wisconsin’s man-blocking scheme, Taylor is coached to read his running lanes/blocks from the inside out, starting at the strong side A-gap and working his way outside to the C-gap (A between center & guard, C is outside the tackle). He does a great job of reading his way to the outside, and pouncing on opportunities inside when they are present.
Any top tier running back in the NFL draft possesses the elite vision, and Taylor is one of a handful of prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft to possess such a quality.
Speed vs. Quickness
Unless the running back in question is among the world’s best, there will be a trade-off between their acceleration in the hole and their breakaway speed. In more depth, acceleration is better for hitting holes on the interior and meeting linebackers at the point of contact, whereas top-end speed is best for getting to the edge and beating exterior defenders to the corner and turning the play upfield for big gains.
As a power-runner at 214 pounds, Taylor is not going to be excessively explosive in either his quickness or top speed. As a power-runner, quickness is more valuable than speed but neither is going to ruin a power-runners draft stock. Taylor does possess the quickness to hit holes and beat linebackers to the punch, which is invaluable as a power back.
When hitting the C-gap and breaking out into the open field, Taylor is capable of breaking the play open but is by no means going to be considered a burner. Out of high school, Taylor ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at 208 lbs and has shown a similar level of speed in his time at Wisconsin. This explosiveness on the outside leaves the opportunity for designed C-gap runs in an NFL system.
Taylor may not be the quickest or the fastest in the 2020 NFL draft, but he is more than capable of competing against NFL defenses.
Strength
Whether it is a classic grinding power back or a third-down specialist, strength and the ability to shed defenders is important for an NFL running back. With the average NFL linebacker weighing in at 248 pounds and the average running back only at 216 pounds, a great power-to-weight ratio is integral to making plays and punishing opposing defenders.
Taylor is a strong runner who is able to push through contact at any point in the run. His strong running produces valuable yards after contact and adds a physical tone to the offense that cannot be undervalued. As previously mentioned, “the legs feed the wolf,” and Taylor is one of the few talents of the 2020 NFL draft who is capable of sweeping the legs out from underneath the wolf.
There are two types of application of strength on a physical run by any good running back: the ability to push back linebackers and the ability to shed secondary players. With the average size advantage in favor of linebackers, running backs are not expected to run through them, but should be able to produce a handful of yards after contact whenever contact is made.
The second kind of strength comes into play on longer runs when a running back is able to make it to the second level thanks to good blocking and sheds safeties for additional yardage. Taylor possesses both of these applications of strength and is able to extend both short-yardage runs and big-time plays.
Strong runners can be found in the 2020 NFL draft with a variety of complimenting skill sets, but no other prospects even compare to the pure running strength of Taylor this year.
3rd down abilities
In the modern NFL, being able to contribute in both dimensions of offense is critical to being an every-down NFL back. Taking advantage of the mismatch against linebackers is an integral part of many offenses. If unable to contribute in the receiving game, pass blocking is an underrated portion of a third-down skill-set. Many running backs struggle in this part of their game and their teams pay for it at the most important times (ex: Devonta Freeman in Super Bowl 51, Donta Hightower strip-sack).
Jonathan Taylor is not going to be a three-down back in the NFL. Simply put, he is a pure power back rarely seen in modern football (ex: Derrick Henry). His reception numbers in a single season will likely never rise above 25, but that is not what he will be brought in to do.
Versatility is crucial to running back success in the modern NFL, but if a player can become polished enough in a single trade, he can still find his niche and become a staple in an NFL franchise. Receiving backs such as Darren Sproles and Danny Woodhead made careers of being purely third-down backs, an exact opposite to a back such as Taylor.
Power backs still have their place in the world of football though, with players such as LeGarrette Blount and Leonard Fournette earning their keep via first and second-down contributions. The 2019 season also saw a revival in the power-running game, with the more conventional Titans and possibly revolutionary Ravens behind both Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram.
Taylor has also lacked the opportunities to demonstrate his pass-blocking ability, running out of I-form and heavy single back sets for much of his time at Wisconsin. Taylor is a much better runner from behind the quarterback rather than beside him in a shotgun set, meaning his pass-blocking will revolve around hitting linebackers in the hole on the play-action.
If teams are looking for a third-down back in the 2020 NFL draft, they are available, but Taylor is not the place to be looking.