The Indianapolis Colts made it clear what their intention was in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. It began when they took receiver Michael Pittman Jr. with the 34th pick. The Colts would then trade with the Cleveland Browns to get the No. 41 pick to select running back Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor is one of the top backs in the 2020 class. At Wisconsin, he set an FBS record for rushing yards by a first-year player with 1,977 yards. He followed that up with two 2,000-yard seasons. Taylor is a two-time Doan Walker award winner who is the fourth leading rusher in FBS history. Now, he will join the Colts. Here are three bold predictions for his first season.
3. Taylor Struggles with Fumbles
The biggest knock on Taylor is that he has fumbling issues. This will not change at the next level right away. Taylor will need to address this but it is hard to do in one offseason transitioning into the NFL. With the amount that he will be used, it's inevitable that he will put the ball on the ground.
There have been plenty of running backs who have struggled with this, and the good ones end up finding a solution. Taylor has a chance to be productive right away but he will have to hang onto the ball to stay that way.
2. 1,000-Yard Season
The Colts have quarterback Philip Rivers for one year. They added weapons around him in hopes of going for it all. Taylor will join the backfield with Marlon Mack. There is no doubt that Taylor will be the featured back among the two.
Taylor is not much of a receiver out of the backfield. Mack will serve as the receiving back while Taylor pounds the football. He will get his fair share of work in year one and this will end in a 1,000-yard season. He is an elite runner which he showed at Wisconsin and this can transition well into the pros.
1. Offensive Rookie of the Year?
Yes, newly-minted Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is going to be the favorite to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year. D'Andre Swift is another name that will also surface, but Taylor can emerge as a dark-horse candidate. Let's not forget that Burrow is playing for Cincinnati. If the award comes down to the best of the running backs, Taylor could put up the top numbers.
Taylor has the chance to rush for 1,000 yards. He will serve as the goal line back which means he will rack up touchdowns. The Colts are doing their best to build their offense with Taylor and Pittman. It would be hard to overlook 1,000-plus yards and double-digit touchdowns.
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