Early star in NCAA
Jonathan Taylor wasted no time. As soon as he arrived at the University of Wisconsin in 2017, at the age of 18, he established himself as the starting running back of his team. And, in his second game, Taylor exceeded the 200-yard mark. He finished his first NCAA season with 1977 yards gained, which is still a record for a freshman to this day.
During the next two seasons, Jonathan Taylor exceeded 2000 yards each time. He is one of the very few university runners to have achieved this feat. In 2018, he even finished best running back in the championship, with 2,194 yards. Taylor then had nothing more to prove in the NCAA. He gave up his final year of college and lined up for the 2020 NFL Draft. The Indianapolis Colts picked him 41st.
A nice record for the Colts
Last year in the NFL, Jonathan Taylor immediately found his feet. In his second game in the pro league, against Minnesota (28-11), he ran over 100 yards (101 to be exact). And, at the conclusion of the regular season, against Jacksonville (28-14), Taylor delivered a superb game, collecting 253 yards, the club’s record for a runner. He was ahead of legends such as Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk or Edgerrin James.
Jonathan Taylor finished his first NFL season with 1,169 yards, ranking third-best runner in the championship, behind Derrick Henry (Tennessee) and Dalvin Cook (Minnesota). He thus helped the Colts to find the play-offs, after a year of absence. But Taylor was not rewarded with one of the three Pro Bowl spots promised to a running back. In his lecture, Henry and Nick Chubb (Cleveland) were untouchable. And Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas) undoubtedly took advantage of the important fan base Raiders to go.
A regular at 100 yards
Derrick Henry’s broken foot in early November reshuffled the cards for the title of best runner of the season. Henry had galloped 937 yards, before injuring himself. 10 days ago, Jonathan Taylor equaled the Tennessee running back. Then he passed it on Sunday, gaining 185 yards in Indianapolis’ large victory over Buffalo (41-15). Taylor now has 1,122 yards.
This season, Taylor has already exceeded the 100-yard mark six times in a game. It’s better than Derrick Henry (five), Nick Chubb (four), Damien Harris, the New England runner, and Dalvin Cook (three). Jonathan Taylor has another string to his bow. He goes on touchdowns. Since the start of the season, he has 13 per run, making him the NFL’s No.1 in this field. On Sunday, he entered the Buffalo in-goal five times (four times on the run, once on reception).
After a difficult start to the season, the Colts are now in the race for the play-offs. And this time, Taylor should win his ticket to the Pro Bowl.
.
