Indianapolis Colts move up for Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor

The Indianapolis Colts moved up a handful of spots in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft to take Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor.

The Indianapolis Colts are going to make sure that Philip Rivers and whoever ends up being their quarterback of the future have a good nucleus of running backs to go along with their stellar offensive line.

After trading a first-round pick for defensive lineman DeForest Buckner ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Colts selected USC wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. They followed up that pick by taking Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, whose production for the Badgers was not of this world.

Taylor played three seasons for the Badgers and racked up over 6,000 rushing yards and had two straight 2,000-yard seasons.

Although Taylor needs work on ball security and receiving out of the backfield, he’s a tremendous ball carrier with speed, vision, tackle-breaking ability, and a lot of experience running through, around, and past people.

This is a fascinating fit for the Indianapolis Colts who obviously felt like they needed to upgrade their offensive weaponry immediately at two of the deepest position groups on day two of the draft.

Marlon Mack is entering a contract year but has certainly proven himself as an all-around back and is coming off of his first 1,000-yard season.

Perhaps the Colts believe that Taylor’s best days are ahead of him, as crazy as that sounds. An athlete like this has untapped potential in the passing game and the Colts will need to coach him up in that regard as he starts off his career as a ‘bell cow’ back.

One of the smartest players in the draft, Taylor is someone the Colts can filter their offense through and keep defenses respecting the run because if you don’t load the box against this guy, he can beat you.