Why Drafting Jonathan Taylor Makes Perfect Sense For The Green Bay Packers

Note: The NFL Draft begins April 23 and the Green Bay Packers have the 30^th pick in the first round. Between now and then, I’ll examine 30 players the Packers could select with that pick.

Today, we look at Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor.

The following players have also been spotlighted.

• LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson

• TCU defensive lineman Ross Blacklock

• USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson

• Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray

• Utah State quarterback Jordan Love

• Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins

• Oklahoma DL Neville Gallimore

JONATHAN TAYLOR, RB, WISCONSIN

THE SKINNY

Taylor is the latest in a recent line of outstanding Wisconsin running backs that includes Ron Dayne, Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball, James White, Brent Moss, Terrell Fletcher, Michael Bennett and others. And a case could certainly be made that Taylor is the best of the bunch.

Taylor ran for more yards in three seasons (6,174) than any player in FBS history. He also averaged a remarkable 6.7 yards per carry and had 55 total touchdowns. Taylor was a unanimous first-team all-American in both 2018 and 2019, and won the Doak Walker Award as college football’s top running back those same years.

Taylor ran for 1,977 yards as a freshman, then exceeded 2,000 yards on the ground each of his last two years. Taylor also became a threat out of the backfield in 2019, when he caught 26 passes and had five receiving touchdowns.

In addition, Taylor showed off his speed by running track for the Badgers in the spring of 2019.

MEASURABLES

Height: 5-10

Weight: 226

Bench press: 17 reps of 225 pounds

40-yard dash: 4.39 seconds

Three-cone drill: 7.01 seconds

20-yard shuttle: 4.24 seconds

Arms: 31 1/8”

Hands: 9 1/2”

SCOUTING REPORT

Taylor has the ideal blend of size, speed and power most teams desire. Some scouts wondered about Taylor’s speed, then he led all running backs with a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine last month.

Taylor’s remarkably smooth in and out of cuts, has terrific vision in the hole and accelerates easily to pull away from players at the second and third levels. Taylor exercises outstanding patience while letting blocks form, runs squarely behind his pads and has the necessary power to finish runs.

Taylor is remarkably durable, never missing a game at Wisconsin and logging 926 career carries. He also flashed reliable hands in the passing game in 2019.

Taylor did have a concerning 18 fumbles in 41 games and his heavy workload worries some teams. Taylor projects as a Day One starter, though, and potentially the first running back off the board.   

PACKERS’ PREDICAMENT

Green Bay has one of the top running back tandems in football with Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams.

Jones scored 23 touchdowns and had 1,707 total yards in 2019. He played in all 18 games, was second on the team with 55 receptions and has grown into a terrific teammate and leader.

Williams led Green Bay in rushing yards during his 2017 rookie season (556) and is the only player in franchise history to register 400-plus rushing yards and 200-plus receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons.

Jones, a fifth-round draft pick in 2017, has been operating on a four-year, $2.6 million deal. Williams, a fourth-round selection in 2017, has been working on a four-year, $2.95 million contract.

Both running backs will be entering the final year of their rookie contracts in 2020, meaning Green Bay must begin its search to find its running back of tomorrow.

If Jones has another huge year in 2020, his price tag could become too high for the Packers to match. Williams would be more affordable, but is better suited as a reserve.

So Green Bay could certainly invest an early pick on someone like Wisconsin’s Taylor, let him learn for a year, then become a bellcow in 2021 and beyond.

THEY SAID IT

Taylor, on why he’s the best running back in this class: “Really, I think it’s my consistency. I mean, if you look at the next level, what separates the great backs from the elite backs is really them playing on an elite level day in and day out every Sunday. I think that’s one of the biggest things that separates me is my ability to be consistent year in and year out.”

Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst on Taylor: “I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of great backs, and J.T., he’s right in the conversation with the best of ‘em. I think Jonathan said it best when he said, ‘If you’re in the conversation with that group, that’s pretty humbling.’ And he is obviously a great football player. But when you’re around him and you see how he works and how he treats people and how he goes about every day on and off the field, he’s truly an impressive young man.”

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Taylor: “Can run all the assortment of runs. Elusive back, power back, he’s light on his feet, sees holes. Does everything well, blocks. You just try to contain him. Not a realistic thing to think you can stop him.”

Ohio State coach Ryan Day on Taylor: “He’s strong, fast. He can change direction, he’s powerful. Guys bounce off of him, runs with an attitude. A lot of guys who are that big don’t have the agility that he has. He has good agility. He can run away. He’s good out of the backfield. He’s caught the ball. He’s kind of an all-purpose back.”