10. Jonathan Taylor: Everybody is gearing up and preparing for another football season. The preseason is underway, the new Hall of Fame class was inducted just last week and each team is looking to accomplish one goal. Get to Arizona for Super Bowl 57. This is also the time where I begin my annual project called “The Best in the Business”. If this is your first time following along, this is where I present to you my ten best players in the NFL today. A few guys are making their debuts this year. Who I’m about to break down is one of them. He was a legit MVP candidate and had a strong chance at winning the award. I’m talking about a running back named Jonathan Taylor. He makes his first appearance on this project and checks in as my tenth best player in the NFL today.
If you’ve followed along with me, I live by a saying. You better have game if you have two first names! Anything you ask of this guy, he does it and then some. As a running back, you must have vision to complement your game and Jonathan has the vision of a five-year veteran to be so young. He’s a downhill, yet shifty runner who’s shown that he can be difficult to bring down because he runs with power and authority. He’s tough because he’s not shy to drift away from contact. Jonathan will lower the shoulder and welcome contact with open arms. Why run away from it? Even when you think you have him tackled and down, he’ll still find a way to power through and keep his legs moving. What I enjoy about his game is the versatility he displays. Jonathan can finish a game with 125 yards rushing and 80 yards receiving. He’s just as dangerous as a receiver as he is in the running game. Whether it’s on a screen pass or running the wheel route, Jonathan is a threat that can take the ball to the house in the open field.
He single-handedly carried the Colts and almost got them to the playoffs by himself. The best game he had last season came in a playoff rematch against the Buffalo Bills. Jonathan simply took the game over and never looked back. He torched the Bills defense with five touchdowns. Also, he finished the game with 32 carries for 185 yards and accounted for five touchdowns (four rushing and one receiving). I followed him back in college at Wisconsin and he’s impressing me in the NFL. The Colts need to continue to build around him.
