CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN'S DRAFT TRADES
JONATHAN TAYLOR
HEIGHT/WEIGHT/AGE
5-foot-10
225 pounds
21 years old
BIG PICTURE
Even in the storied history of Wisconsin running backs, Jonathan Taylor's career stands out. He carried for over 6,100 yards in three seasons, second all-time amongst Big Ten running backs and sixth in FBS history. Scored 55 times in his career, including five times through the air. Averaged 6.7 yards per carry behind the Badgers' big offensive line. An absolute workhorse with 27 games of 20 or more carries. Ball security and pass-catching remain a bit of a concern, but his skill as a running back is clear. Proved his speed at the combine with a position-best 4.39 40.
COMBINE NOTABLES
4.39 40-yard dash (1st)
17 bench reps
36-inch vertical
123-inch broad jump
7.01 3-cone drill (4th)
4.24 20-yard shuttle (6th)
VIKINGS COMPATIBILITY RANKING
1 out of 5. It's not the year to take a running back this early. Not when the defense has so many holes.
HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT DRAFT EXPERTS SAY
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: "Supremely productive, well-built runner with an all-day, every-day mentality that helped lead him to three Big Ten rushing titles. Taylor runs with bend and burst as an outside runner and has home-run speed once he gets into the open field. He displays an ability to weave around interior traffic but might have evolved into more of a thinker than reactor inside due to fumbling issues and the litany of loaded fronts he faced. His patience and understanding of the where/when of blocks allowed him to thrive in multiple run schemes. He's more body puncher than knockout artist, wearing down his opponents with carry after carry. His traits, toughness and talent should make him an early starter with a solid ceiling and more third-down potential than we saw at Wisconsin."
Benjamin Solak, Draft Network: "Jonathan Taylor is a late Day 1/early Day 2 candidate for power-running teams looking for a bellcow starter in the NFL. Taylor's combination of leg drive power, burst in tight areas, and devastating open-stride speed give him a highly dangerous profile for teams that are willing to let him run from deep alignments between the tackles, as Wisconsin did. Taylor has only a modest profile as a change-of-direction player and is not a strong candidate for zone concepts that ask him to bounce from gap to gap, as he is at his best when he's generated build-up speed. Taylor's utility on passing downs casts some doubt onto his profile, but as a traditional running back goes it's tough to get much better at the college level. Taylor is an immediate starter in Year 1 with a ceiling conditional on his growth as a pass-catcher in Year 2 and 3."
WHAT PFF SAYS
4.24 yards after contact during career
60+ missed tackles forced each season
17 fumbles throughout career
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
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