Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). Taylor played high school football at Salem High School, where he set the New Jersey state rushing yards record. He played college football at Wisconsin, finishing his college career as the sixth all-time rusher in the NCAA and the first player in history to rush for more than 6,000 yards in any three-year span. Taylor finished in the top ten of Heisman Trophy voting three times. Following each of the 2018 and 2019 seasons, he was named a unanimous first-team All-American and recipient of the Doak Walker Award, the award for the top running back in college football. Taylor was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the 41st pick by the Colts. With the Colts, Taylor led the NFL in both rushing yards and touchdowns in 2021, becoming a unanimous All-Pro and Pro Bowler in the same season.

Jonathan Taylor’s Early Life and Background

Taylor was born in Salem, New Jersey to Elizabeth Taylor and Jonathan James. His father played basketball for San Francisco State from 1982 to 1986.Taylor attended Salem High School. During his high school football career, he amassed 4,642 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns. As a senior, he set the New Jersey record with 2,815 rushing yards, which had been held by former Wisconsin Badgers running back Corey Clement. In his senior season, Taylor averaged 234.6 yards a game, rushing for 35 touchdowns and scoring 37 total touchdowns. During his senior year, he was honored with the Jim Henry Award as the high-school area player of the year for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Taylor was also an accomplished performer in track and field, and he won two state titles in the 100-meter dash, his best time being 10.49 seconds.

247Sports rated Taylor as a three-star prospect and the 24th-highest-ranked running back in the class of 2017. He committed to play college football at Rutgers University but later changed it to the University of Wisconsin–Madison on November 1, 2016.

Jonathan Taylor’s Collegiate Career

247Sports rated Taylor as a three-star prospect and the 24th-highest-ranked running back in the class of 2017. He committed to play college football at Rutgers University but later changed it to the University of Wisconsin–Madison on November 1, 2016. After fall camp, Taylor opened his freshman year at Wisconsin in 2017 as one of the team's starting running backs alongside Shaw and James. After Taylor ran for 249 yards against Nebraska in the fifth game of the season, he entered the Heisman Trophy conversation and was routinely listed among the top-five Heisman candidates. On October 21, 2017, Taylor reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his seventh game, matching the FBS freshman record for fewest games to reach 1,000 yards; the previous backs to accomplish this feat were Florida's Emmitt Smith (1987), San Diego State's Marshall Faulk (1991), Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson (2004), North Texas' Jamario Thomas (2004) and Wisconsin's P. J. Hill (2006).[15] Taylor rushed for 183 yards on 29 carries with a touchdown in Wisconsin's 45–17 win over Indiana on November 4, winning his fifth Big Ten Freshman of the Week award.On October 30, Taylor was named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award.[18] On November 17, he was named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award given to the top running back in the country.[19] Just three days later, he was named one of three Doak Walker Award finalists, along with Penn State's Saquon Barkley and Stanford's Bryce Love.[20] Following the final game of the season against Wisconsin's rival Minnesota, Taylor won his eighth Big Ten Freshman of the Week award. He set a new Big Ten record as he surpassed Ohio State quarterback J. T. Barrett's record of seven Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards set in 2013.[21] Taylor was listed as a consensus first-team All-Big Ten pick by the Big Ten coaches and media on November 27, 2017, and was named the conference's freshman of the year.[22][23] He finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.[24]Taylor finished his freshman season with 1,977 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, finishing second all-time in rushing yards among FBS freshmen, behind fellow Wisconsin, running back Ron Dayne. Taylor led the Big Ten in rushing yards while finishing third in the FBS in rushing yards and second in the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns behind Barkley.

Taylor entered the 2018 season as a consensus preseason All-American[33] and was featured on watch lists for the Maxwell Award,[34] the Doak Walker Award,[35] and the Walter Camp Award.[36] Taylor's return, as well as those of many other key members of the 2017 Orange Bowl-winning Wisconsin team, led the Badgers to become ranked fourth in the preseason AP Poll, tied for the highest start in school history.[37] He was the seventh-ranked college football player by ESPN during the preseason. In the second game, Taylor set a career-high with 253 rushing yards, to go along with three touchdowns, in a 45–14 win over New Mexico.[40] He was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. In a triple-overtime win over Purdue on November 17, he put up a career-high 321 yards and three touchdowns.[45] The game earned him his fourth career Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor. Wisconsin, 7–5 in the regular season, earned an invitation to the Pinstripe Bowl against Miami (FL) in a rematch of the previous year's Orange Bowl.[43] Taylor put up 205 rushing yards and a touchdown in the game, helping the Badgers to a 35–3 win and earning game MVP honors. During the 2018 season, Taylor led the FBS in rushing yards (2,194) and attempts (307), finishing in the top ten for yards per attempt (7.1) and rushing touchdowns (16).[48] He finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting.[49] He received the Doak Walker Award, given annually to college football's top running back.[50] Taylor was named a unanimous first-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, and Big Ten Running Back of the Year. He became the third Badger running back to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark, following Ron Dayne and Melvin Gordon. Taylor was a unanimous preseason All-American heading into the 2019 season and was widely considered a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate.In Wisconsin's opening game against South Florida, Taylor rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns and added two touchdown receptions through the air. He became the first Big Ten player to record two rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same game since 2010 and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.[54] In a Week 4 victory over No. 11 Michigan, Taylor rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first Wisconsin player to rush for 200 yards against the Wolverines.[55][56] He earned his sixth career Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor for the performance. In a November 16 game against Nebraska, Taylor rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns, and in the process broke Herschel Walker’s record for the most rushing yards through a junior season.[59] He was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week (along with Shea Patterson), his fourth Player of the Week honor of the season. The next week, against Purdue, Taylor accomplished his FBS-record-setting 12th career 200-yard game. During the Rose Bowl, Taylor eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark for the season and became the second FBS player with two 2,000-yard seasons (following Troy Davis).[64] Taylor finished the season tied atop the Big Ten and tied for third nationally with Ohio State's J. K. Dobbins in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns; each had 2,003 yards and 21 touchdowns.[65] For the second consecutive year, 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, becoming the first player to win the award twice since Darren McFadden did so in 2006 and 2007.

Who Drafted Jonathan Taylor?

On January 3, 2020, it was announced that Taylor would skip his senior season, and enlist in that year’s draft. Taylor ended his college career at fourth on the all-time FBS rushing-yards list, sixth all-time when bowl games are included, with 6,174 yards. 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. Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus ranked Taylor as being in the best situation to succeed with the Colts.

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Jonathan Taylor’s NFL Journey

Even in a relatively short career so far, Jonathan Taylor’s resume is impeccable as they come. After being drafted 41st overall by the Colts, Taylor has made a name and a reputation as being one of the best running backs in the league today. He already holds multiple league honors and awards and has even etched his name into the history books by breaking long-standing records. The man has a Pro Bowl and a first-team All-Pro under his belt already and was named to the All-Rookie team as well. On top of that, Taylor had the statistical case for being perhaps the best running back in the league in 2021, when he led the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. With just two seasons under his belt so far, the sky seems to be the limit for this young running back.

Jonathan Taylor teams

Indianapolis Colts (2020-Present)

On January 3, 2020, it was announced that Taylor would skip his senior season, and enlist in that year’s draft. Taylor ended his college career at fourth on the all-time FBS rushing-yards list, sixth all-time when bowl games are included, with 6,174 yards. 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. Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus ranked Taylor as being in the best situation to succeed with the Colts. Taylor was named the Colts backup running back to starter Marlon Mack at the start of the season. However, he was promoted to the starting position in the second game as Mark suffered a torn Achilles tendon. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 28, 2020, and activated on December 2.

Taylor had a career game in Week 17, picking up 253 yards and two touchdowns, which tied for ninth all-time rushing yards in a game, and surpassing Edgerrin James for the Colts franchise record in a game, as he surpassed 1,000 yards on the season and the Colts defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 28–14. Taylor won FedEx Ground Player of the Week in that game, with more yards and yards per carry than Derrick Henry that week. He finished the regular season with 232 rushing attempts for 1,169 yards, and 11 touchdowns, with only one fumble. He finished third in the league in rushing yards behind Dalvin Cook and Derrick Henry. Taylor was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for his performance in December. For his season, Taylor was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team for that year.

Taylor was named the starting running back for the Colts to start the 2021 season. Against the Houston Texans in Week 6, Taylor had 14 attempts for 145 yards and two touchdowns; his rushing total included a career-best 83-yard rush. The Colts would win the game 31–3. Taylor won AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. In Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills, Taylor had 204 total yards, including 185 rushing yards on 32 attempts, and five total touchdowns (four rushings, one receiving), in the Colts' 41–15 win. In doing so, he broke the Colts franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a game, as well as total touchdowns in a game. Taylor was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Taylor won AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November. Taylor was selected for the 2022 Pro Bowl, after receiving the most votes in fan Pro Bowl voting. With him finishing the season with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, Taylor was both the rushing yards leader and rushing touchdown leader for 2021. He ended the season with more than 500 yards ahead of the second-place rushing yards leader Nick Chubb. He was unanimously selected to the First-team 2021 All-Pro Team. Taylor started all 17 games. He finished tied for first in total touchdowns (20), and ranked second in the league in total points (120) by non-kickers. From Weeks 4–11, Taylor compiled 100-plus scrimmage yards and at least one rushing touchdown in eight consecutive games, which tied for the longest streak in NFL history. After the season, the Maxwell Football Club announced that Taylor was the winner of the 2021 Bert Bell Award. He was the runner-up for AP Offensive Player of the Year. He was ranked fifth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.

Jonathan Taylor Awards and Honors

Jonathan Taylor NFL Records

• Most consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown - 8 (2021) (shares with Lydell Mitchell and LaDainian Tomlinson)

• The youngest player in NFL history with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards (2,171) and 20 scrimmage touchdowns (20) in a single season (2021)

Colts franchise records

• Most rushing yards in a single season: 1,811 (2021)

• Most games of 50+ rushing yards in a season: 17 (2021)

• Most games of 170+ rushing yards: 4

• Most rushing yards in a game: 253 (January 3, 2021, against the Jacksonville Jaguars)

• Most rushing touchdowns in a single season: 18 (2021)

• Most rushing touchdowns in a game: 4 (tied with Joseph Addai, Eric Dickerson)

• Most total touchdowns in a season: 20 (tied with Lenny Moore)

• Most total touchdowns in a single game: 5 (2021)

• Longest rushing play: 83 yards (2021)

NCAA Division I FBS

• Most 200-yard rushing games (career): 12

• Most rushing yards through the junior season: 6,174

• Most rushing yards through the sophomore season: 4,171

• Most rushing yards in a season by a freshman: 1,977

• Fewest games for a freshman to reach 1,000 rushing yards: 7 games (tied with 6 others)

Big Ten Conference

• Most Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards: 8

Jonathan Taylor's Net Worth

Jonathan Taylor is an American football player who has a net worth of $16 million in 2022. He has made himself a name in the football industry in a short period of time. According to various online resources (Wikipedia, Forbes, Bloomberg), the most popular American football running back Jonathan Taylor’s estimated net worth is around $16 Million. Jonathan Taylor has made a successful career in the football industry and gained popularity for his work. He signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colts as a professional player and since then he is playing football for this team.

Jonathan Taylor Contract

Jonathan Taylor signed his 4-year rookie contract with the Indianapolis Colts on May 15, 2020. The contract value is $7,829,154 with $4,829,799 guaranteed including a $3,253,928 signing bonus.

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Jonathan Taylor's family

Jonathan Taylor is the son of Elizabeth Taylor and Jonathan James. He was raised by his mother, along with his four older siblings. He is currently dating Ayanna Chapman, who he met while he was in high school. During Taylor’s rookie season, Chapman contracted COVID-19, which caused Taylor to miss a game. He does not have any children at this time.