Jonathan Taylor

BIOGRAPHY

Jonathan Taylor was born January 19, 1999, in Salem, New Jersey. He is a running back in the NFL. 

"Taylor was born in Salem, New Jersey where he attended Salem high school. In his high school career, he had a total of 4,642 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns. As a senior, he set the New Jersey record 2,815 rushing yards where he averaged 234.6 yards a game while scoring 37 touchdowns. He also won the Jim Henry Award, Taylor also won two state titles in the 100-meter dash. After high school as a 3 star, he committed to play football at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In the beginning of Taylor's freshman year, he was pretty far from a starter on the depth chart. This would soon change as he did a lot with the carries he was given and eventually was named a starter. After his 7th game his first season he reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark which matched the FBS record for the fewest games to do it. Taylor finished his season with the most rushing yards as a freshman in NCAA history with 1,977 yards and 13 touchdowns.

In his sophomore season, he ended up leading the FBS in rushing yards with 2,194 on 307 attempts. He also finished in the top ten for yards per attempt with 7.1 and 16 rushing touchdowns. He was named a unanimous first-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, and Big Ten running back of the year. He also received the Doak Walker Award.

In his Junior season, he was a unanimous preseason All-American and was considered a preseason Heisman Trophy Candidate. Taylor eclipsed a 2,000 yard rushing season yet again and became the 2nd player in FBS history to do it twice. Taylor was named a unanimous first-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, and the Big Ten Running Back of the Year. He was again the recipient of the Doak Walker Award. He ended his college career with the 4th most yards rushed in FBS history with 6,174 yards. After a fantastic college career, he was taken 41st by the Indianapolis Colts. With the elite offensive line of the Colts Taylor is primed to have a great career." He finished the regular season with 232 rushes for 1,169 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one fumble. Taylor was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for his performance in December.

Taylor was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the 41st pick by the Indianapolis Colts, who had acquired the pick from the Cleveland Browns in a trade. Taylor made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2020 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had nine carries for 22 rushing yards and six receptions for 67 receiving yards in the 27–20 loss. The following week against the Minnesota Vikings, he had 26 carries for 101 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 28–11 victory. In Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Taylor recorded 115 yards from scrimmage during the 31–27 win. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 28, 2020, and activated on December 2. In Week 13 against the Houston Texans, Taylor recorded 135 yards from scrimmage and a receiving touchdown during the 26–20 win. In Week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Taylor rushed for 150 yards, a career-long 62-yard rush, and two touchdowns during the 44–27 win. In Week 16, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he recorded two rushing touchdowns in the 28–24 loss. Taylor had a career game in Week 17, picking up 253 yards, surpassing Edgerrin James for the Colts franchise record for a single game, as well as two touchdowns as he surpassed 1,000 yards on the season and the Colts defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 28–14. Taylor also won the FedEx Ground player of the week award in that game, with more yards and yards per carry than Derrick Henry that week. He finished the regular season with 232 rushes for 1,169 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one fumble. Taylor was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for his performance in December.