In response to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (ESPN), and an annual survey carried out by greater than 80 league executives, coaches, scouts, and gamers alike, the Indianapolis Colts Jonathan Taylor is ranked because the NFL’s sixth greatest working again forward of the 2023 season:

6. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Highest rating: 2 | Lowest rating: 10

Age: 24 | Final yr’s rating: 2

After a historic 2021 marketing campaign with 1,811 dashing yards, 18 touchdowns and an All-Professional bid, Taylor regarded poised for the highest spot for years to return.

However his 2022 marketing campaign was difficult, lacking six video games with an ankle subject and working behind a porous line.

The Colts ranked twenty third in run block win price in 2022, in comparison with seventh the yr earlier than.

As one NFL personnel govt sees it, this actuality confirmed the strengths and shortcomings of Taylor’s sport.

“He’s received top-end velocity and might get the powerful yards, however he’s not a inventive man who can do it on his personal,” the manager mentioned. “He wants it blocked up after which he could make it occur.”

Actually, that final quote by that league govt rubs me the incorrect method, as a result of I don’t know what number of instances I’ve seen Taylor ‘make one thing out of nothing’ by shaking the primary defender—solely to show a impartial or destructive play into at the very least a number of optimistic dashing yards.

He’s truthfully very harking back to former Colts Corridor of Fame working again Edgerrin James in that very same regard—each of whom are seemingly in a position to routinely churn out optimistic yards, regardless of next-to-no working area at instances.

My different gripe is that even after Taylor’s down season, wherein he was restricted by a lingering ankle harm, I don’t see a world the place he’s at present any decrease than the 4th greatest working again within the NFL—and that would come with the Cleveland Browns Nick Chubb, the San Francisco 49ers Christian McCaffrey, and the New York Giants Saquon Barkley.

If totally wholesome, he’s head and shoulders higher than both the Las Vegas Raiders Josh Jacobs or an aged Tennessee Titans Derrick Henry, with a whole lot of mileage on these tires and accidents starting to pile up. Taylor ought to be a Prime 5 working again in soccer proper now.

And if totally wholesome, he’s nearer to Prime 3—arguably even the #1 again within the sport, if he can get anyplace near his monstrous 2021 dashing marketing campaign the place he led the league in carries (192), dashing yards (861), and dashing touchdowns (18).

Let’s put it this fashion: