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Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor is widely considered one of the top prospects at his position in this year's draft class. With the NFL Combine starting this past Sunday, several players will interview with teams, participate in drills and of course, receive comparisons to current and past NFL players.
Taylor is no exception to that and received an interesting comparison prior to the draft. NFL analysist Lance Zierlein compared the Wisconsin star to former NFL running back Ryan Matthews.
Matthews was drafted No. 12 overall back in 2010. The former Fresno State star showed a lot of promise in his first four seasons with the San Diego Chargers and even made a Pro Bowl appearance in his second year. However, Matthews was largely unable to stay healthy.
Durability issues likely accelerated Matthews' career as the former first-round pick lasted just seven years in the league and retired in 2016.
Granted, Zierlein, compared Taylor to Matthews (with durability) and heavily praised the 21-year-old back.
“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,” Zierlein said.
The landing spot for Jonathan Taylor in the upcoming NFL Draft could play a key role in his production. If given enough opportunity with a solid supporting cast, he could really shine.
