Best Comparison for Jonathan Taylor (1 Viewer)

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As most of you know I’m a big comparisons guy. I think the best way to project potential success or potential failure is to define what guys with similar body types, athleticism, production, etc have done and use it to project prospects each draft season.

I just wanted to make note that as I watched more of Jonathan Taylor during his time at Wisconsin and looked for a similar qualities, the ONLY comparison I found that is suitable from a build/athleticism, weakness/strength stand point is....

Adrian Peterson

1. Build: The resemblance is uncanny - chiseled but extremely lean throughout their mid section with tree trunk legs and well built shoulders. Both guys are higher-waisted with fairly long arms and legs. Very few RBs at this level have this build, as you usually see guys carrying more weight in their mid-section with much shorter legs, allowing for natural ability to wiggle through holes. Taylor, like AD, made up for it with vision and once they both are able to hit the second level, the long-striding nature becomes a gift and not a curse.

2. Athleticism: Neither man should be the athlete they are at their size, but both are elite level athletes with other-worldly top end speed. Adrian Peterson was a 4.40 guy at 221 pounds, whereas Taylor was even faster at 4.39 at 226 pounds. Agility testing numbers were virtually identical, with both running a 7-flat in the three-cone drill, a drill that does not play well to their frames.

3. Weakness(es): There’s two major, identical weaknesses with both guys. The bigger issue is fumbling. Jonathan Taylor had ball security issues throughout his Wisconsin career, and Peterson helped secure our hometown Saints a spot in the Super Bowl. This is a natural more common than average occurrence given the above mentioned longer arms, creating more room for the ball to move. Another issue, is pass catching. Peterson has rarely been called upon as a pass catching weapon out of the backfield, and it’s unlikely that will become a strength of Taylor’s as well.

4. Strengths: Peterson at the top of his game was the best pure runner in the NFL for a long time, and it may be lofty but I would venture to say Jonathan Taylor can compete for that mark at the next level as well. They compensate for their lack of quick, nimble feet in the hole by being powerful, one-cut and accelerate burners when they find the crease. Like Peterson, Taylor is prone to getting stuffed when he’s cut off in the hole, but as soon as he gets to the second level of the defense he just has another gear that very few humans can match, with power and strength to bully NFL defensive backs.

This is lofty, I know. But the comparable traits are striking to me. Anyone else see a better comp?
 
I've seen mocks that have him in the late 1st to second round. I've seen him rated as the 4th-6th best back in the draft.

I watch a lot of Wisconsin games because the Big "10" is usually what is shown on Chicago television.

I'm floored by his low ranking. Has the combine helped him at all? In another era he would be a top 5 pick.

My only knock on him is that he has a lot of miles on his legs. He isn't the ideal pass catcher but I don't think that he was asked to do that at Wisconsin so maybe he can do it but never had to.
 
As most of you know I’m a big comparisons guy. I think the best way to project potential success or potential failure is to define what guys with similar body types, athleticism, production, etc have done and use it to project prospects each draft season.

I just wanted to make note that as I watched more of Jonathan Taylor during his time at Wisconsin and looked for a similar qualities, the ONLY comparison I found that is suitable from a build/athleticism, weakness/strength stand point is....

Adrian Peterson

1. Build: The resemblance is uncanny - chiseled but extremely lean throughout their mid section with tree trunk legs and well built shoulders. Both guys are higher-waisted with fairly long arms and legs. Very few RBs at this level have this build, as you usually see guys carrying more weight in their mid-section with much shorter legs, allowing for natural ability to wiggle through holes. Taylor, like AD, made up for it with vision and once they both are able to hit the second level, the long-striding nature becomes a gift and not a curse.

2. Athleticism: Neither man should be the athlete they are at their size, but both are elite level athletes with other-worldly top end speed. Adrian Peterson was a 4.40 guy at 221 pounds, whereas Taylor was even faster at 4.39 at 226 pounds. Agility testing numbers were virtually identical, with both running a 7-flat in the three-cone drill, a drill that does not play well to their frames.

3. Weakness(es): There’s two major, identical weaknesses with both guys. The bigger issue is fumbling. Jonathan Taylor had ball security issues throughout his Wisconsin career, and Peterson helped secure our hometown Saints a spot in the Super Bowl. This is a natural more common than average occurrence given the above mentioned longer arms, creating more room for the ball to move. Another issue, is pass catching. Peterson has rarely been called upon as a pass catching weapon out of the backfield, and it’s unlikely that will become a strength of Taylor’s as well.

4. Strengths: Peterson at the top of his game was the best pure runner in the NFL for a long time, and it may be lofty but I would venture to say Jonathan Taylor can compete for that mark at the next level as well. They compensate for their lack of quick, nimble feet in the hole by being powerful, one-cut and accelerate burners when they find the crease. Like Peterson, Taylor is prone to getting stuffed when he’s cut off in the hole, but as soon as he gets to the second level of the defense he just has another gear that very few humans can match, with power and strength to bully NFL defensive backs.

This is lofty, I know. But the comparable traits are striking to me. Anyone else see a better comp?


I get where your coming from

Your not calling him the next Adrian Peterson, your just mentioning all the similarities.

I would say when you look at him and watch the tape, that it's a good comparison.
 
As most of you know I’m a big comparisons guy. I think the best way to project potential success or potential failure is to define what guys with similar body types, athleticism, production, etc have done and use it to project prospects each draft season.

I just wanted to make note that as I watched more of Jonathan Taylor during his time at Wisconsin and looked for a similar qualities, the ONLY comparison I found that is suitable from a build/athleticism, weakness/strength stand point is....

Adrian Peterson

1. Build: The resemblance is uncanny - chiseled but extremely lean throughout their mid section with tree trunk legs and well built shoulders. Both guys are higher-waisted with fairly long arms and legs. Very few RBs at this level have this build, as you usually see guys carrying more weight in their mid-section with much shorter legs, allowing for natural ability to wiggle through holes. Taylor, like AD, made up for it with vision and once they both are able to hit the second level, the long-striding nature becomes a gift and not a curse.

2. Athleticism: Neither man should be the athlete they are at their size, but both are elite level athletes with other-worldly top end speed. Adrian Peterson was a 4.40 guy at 221 pounds, whereas Taylor was even faster at 4.39 at 226 pounds. Agility testing numbers were virtually identical, with both running a 7-flat in the three-cone drill, a drill that does not play well to their frames.

3. Weakness(es): There’s two major, identical weaknesses with both guys. The bigger issue is fumbling. Jonathan Taylor had ball security issues throughout his Wisconsin career, and Peterson helped secure our hometown Saints a spot in the Super Bowl. This is a natural more common than average occurrence given the above mentioned longer arms, creating more room for the ball to move. Another issue, is pass catching. Peterson has rarely been called upon as a pass catching weapon out of the backfield, and it’s unlikely that will become a strength of Taylor’s as well.

4. Strengths: Peterson at the top of his game was the best pure runner in the NFL for a long time, and it may be lofty but I would venture to say Jonathan Taylor can compete for that mark at the next level as well. They compensate for their lack of quick, nimble feet in the hole by being powerful, one-cut and accelerate burners when they find the crease. Like Peterson, Taylor is prone to getting stuffed when he’s cut off in the hole, but as soon as he gets to the second level of the defense he just has another gear that very few humans can match, with power and strength to bully NFL defensive backs.

This is lofty, I know. But the comparable traits are striking to me. Anyone else see a better comp?
Lance Zierlein compares him to Ryan Matthews without the injuries. It's rate for a guy his size to have that kind of breakaway speed and power with a running style that has some wiggle to it. He does not show much of a jump cut, but man does he see the field well. He reads exactly what the defense is doing and then floors it when it's time to go. I think he lacks ADs power game, but there are similarities. There really isn't anyone like him in the NFL right now.
 
I like Taylor a lot and I wrote about him as my "surprise" pick at #24.

He is to me at the same level of Mark Ingram when we picked him. They guy can run, block, receive.

I know we have depth but I would not be surprised if Sean gets a crush on him. He is the kind of runner he loves to compliment Kamara.
 
Wow! That is def an insanely lofty comparison. To me, I see Darren McFadden when I watch Taylor.

McFadden was a similar runner, in that his length made it less natural for him to bounce in traffic but his elite speed and ability to stick and go made him an appealing prospect. Some of the difference I see is that while McFadden had more bulk in his upper body and mid section, he had chicken legs. Taylor didn’t punish smaller defenders as much as he probably should have in college, but he’s definitely capable of moving the pile. I think his leg drive and ability to earn the hard yards is much better than McFadden’s.
 
I like that Taylor could possibly be an option for the saints in the first round and their will likely be many other top notch players available as well. This is a draft that I don;t see how the saints could go wrong with whatever position they take in the first.

As for RB though, I have this thought of adding another Kamara type in Edwards Hellaire. You could put both Kamara and Hellaire on the field at the same time and eliminate the defense from being able to package a substitution for certain offense packages. Either could line up outside for a receiver mismatch and either would be a threat at RB. In a spread offense how do you cover Thomas, a new legit #2 WR, two RB that can play from the slot or catch out the backfield, and maybe have to also worry about a TE.
 
I like Taylor a lot and I wrote about him as my "surprise" pick at #24.

He is to me at the same level of Mark Ingram when we picked him. They guy can run, block, receive.

I know we have depth but I would not be surprised if Sean gets a crush on him. He is the kind of runner he loves to compliment Kamara.

If SP gets a crush on him, maybe we would get a real running game again.
 
JTT? Come on man! He’s clearly not talking about a former child actor; that’s ridiculous!
The OP was obviously referring to the bass guitarist and founding member of Duran Duran!

7C24BE40-7A51-4986-B950-7354D74AA93C.jpeg

Actually, I think he meant the 9ers' #2 WR back in the 80s.
 
Taylor isn't going to set the world on fire with his receiving, but I also don't think it's the weakness it is made out to be. He wasn't asked to do it much compared to his snap usage, but he produced well when given the opportunity. He has good hands and body control, just not the route running experience. I don't see any reason he couldn't be an every down back like Zeke Elliot.

I remember reading an article a couple years ago when he was a freshman describing how he blew the doors off of their preseason scrimmage against both the 1st team and 2nd team D. I specifically remember that he had an effortless 1 handed catch that blew their coaches minds and led to a lot of teammates calling him the "real deal". Watching the combine, he looked phenomenal during catching drills as well. Everything was away from the body with strong hands, and he had to make some really tough catches as well.
 

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