If you were to stack up each of the top running back talents across the NFL, where would Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor fall in?
Would he rank as high as the top five? Top eight? Maybe if you're a bit bearish on Taylor, he could place in the low-end of the top ten.
Or, how about not even in the top 12?
In the eyes of Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema, that was the fate for Jonathan Taylor when stacked up against the best running backs in the world– falling all the way down to 14th.
"Taylor has the volume stats, with more than 6,000 rushing yards over the past five years. But he also owns just a 74.4 cumulative PFF rushing grade across the past three seasons," Sikkema said in his evaluation of Taylor. "He recorded the lowest PFF rushing grade of his career in 2024 (64.1)."
Even after a notably productive season from Taylor, Sikkema finds the Colts' back to be placed by a handful of interesting names: Bucky Irving at six, James Conner at eight, Devon Achane at nine, and even this year's sixth-overall pick Ashton Jeanty, who comes in at just one spot ahead at 13th.
Here's a quick reminder: Taylor had just 14 games played, but still logged 11 touchdowns with over 300 carries and 1,431 yards on the ground; a mark only to be surpassed by three names: Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Bijan Robinson. That's elite stuff from the Colts' running back, even while being faced with a limited sample size.
And now turning 26 years old, he's still got tons of room ahead in his career to be one of the best productive backs in the NFL, even when accounting for the extensive volume he had last season.
The Colts' unpredictable situation at quarterback and a bit of adjustments on the offensive line could add another layer of difficulty for Taylor in his sixth season pro, it's not anything he wasn't already tasked to deal with across last season, and still managed to put up some of the best numbers on the ground across the entire NFL. So why should that change in 2025?
As long as he can remain healthy and this Indianapolis offense remains a run-first unit, the path can be clear for yet another dominant season from Taylor as the Colts' lead back, and in turn, defy a few wild preseason rankings in the process.
