Jonathan Taylor (American football) facts for kids
Taylor in 2020
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| No. 28 – Indianapolis Colts | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | January 19, 1999 Salem, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 226 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Salem | ||||||||||||
| College: | Wisconsin (2017–2019) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2020 / Round: 2 / Pick: 41 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Jonathan Taylor (born January 19, 1999) is an American professional football player. He is a running back for the Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League (NFL). Taylor played high school football at Salem High School, where he set a state record for rushing yards.
He then played three seasons of college football for the Wisconsin Badgers. He became one of the best college rushers ever, being the first player to run for over 6,000 yards in just three years. Taylor was chosen by the Colts in the 2020 NFL draft. In 2021, he led the NFL in both rushing yards and touchdowns, earning top honors like being a unanimous All-Pro and Pro Bowler.
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Early Life and High School Football
Jonathan Taylor was born in Salem, New Jersey. His father played basketball in college. Jonathan went to Salem High School.
During his time playing high school football, he ran for 4,642 yards and scored 51 touchdowns. In his senior year, he set a new New Jersey state record with 2,815 rushing yards. He also scored 35 rushing touchdowns that year.
Taylor was also a great athlete in track and field. He won two state championships in the 100-meter dash.
College Football Career
Taylor decided to play college football at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He quickly became a star player.
Freshman Year (2017)
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In 2017, Taylor started his freshman year as a running back for Wisconsin. In only his second game, he ran for 223 yards and scored three touchdowns. He kept playing well, running for over 200 yards in several games.
By his seventh game, Taylor had already rushed for 1,000 yards. This tied an FBS record for freshmen. He was even considered a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, which is given to the best college football player.
Taylor finished his freshman season with 1,977 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. This was the most rushing yards ever by an FBS freshman. He helped his team win 13 games, which was a school record.
Sophomore Year (2018)
Taylor continued his amazing performance in 2018. He ran for 253 yards and three touchdowns in one game. He also had a career-high 321 rushing yards and three touchdowns in another game against Purdue.
He led the entire FBS in rushing yards with 2,194 yards. He also scored 16 rushing touchdowns. For his outstanding season, Taylor won the Doak Walker Award, given to the best running back in college football. He was also named a unanimous first-team All-American.
Junior Year (2019)
In 2019, Taylor was again a top candidate for the Heisman Trophy. In the first game, he scored two rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns. This was a rare achievement for a Big Ten player.
He continued to break records, including the most rushing yards ever by a player through their junior season. Taylor also set an FBS record with his 12th career game where he rushed for over 200 yards.
He won the Doak Walker Award again, becoming the first player since 2007 to win it twice. Taylor finished the season with 2,003 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. After his junior year, Taylor decided to enter the NFL draft. He ended his college career with 6,174 rushing yards, ranking him among the top rushers in FBS history.
College Statistics
| Wisconsin Badgers | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||||
| 2017 | 14 | 13 | 299 | 1,977 | 6.6 | 13 | 8 | 95 | 11.9 | 0 | ||||
| 2018 | 13 | 13 | 307 | 2,194 | 7.2 | 16 | 8 | 60 | 7.5 | 0 | ||||
| 2019 | 14 | 14 | 320 | 2,003 | 6.3 | 21 | 26 | 252 | 9.7 | 5 | ||||
| Career | 41 | 40 | 926 | 6,174 | 6.7 | 50 | 42 | 407 | 9.7 | 5 | ||||
College Awards and Honors
Taylor received many awards during his college career:
- 2-time unanimous first-team All-American (2018, 2019)
- 2-time Doak Walker Award winner (2018, 2019)
- Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2017)
- 3-time first-team All-Big Ten (2017, 2018, 2019)
Professional NFL Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+1⁄4 in (1.78 m) |
226 lb (103 kg) |
31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.39 s | 1.54 s | 2.56 s | 4.24 s | 7.01 s | 36.0 in (0.91 m) |
10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) |
17 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
2020 Season: Rookie Year
The Indianapolis Colts picked Jonathan Taylor in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He started his first NFL game in Week 1. After the starting running back got injured, Taylor became the main runner for the Colts.
In Week 2, he ran for 101 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown. He had a great end to his rookie season. In Week 17, he ran for 253 yards and two touchdowns, setting a Colts team record for rushing yards in a single game.
Taylor finished his first NFL season with 1,169 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for December. He also made the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
2021 Season: Leading the League
In 2021, Taylor was the Colts' starting running back. He had an incredible season. In Week 6, he ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including an 83-yard run.
In Week 11, Taylor had an amazing game against the Buffalo Bills. He ran for 185 yards and scored five total touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving). This broke Colts team records for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns in a game.
Taylor was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week twice and AFC Offensive Player of the Month twice. He finished the season leading the entire NFL in rushing yards (1,811) and rushing touchdowns (18). He was chosen for the Pro Bowl and was a unanimous First-team All-Pro. He also won the Bert Bell Award.
2022 Season
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In Week 1 of the 2022 season, Taylor ran for 161 yards and a touchdown. He later missed some games due to an ankle injury. In Week 10, he had another strong performance, rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown.
His season ended early in December due to a high ankle sprain. He finished the year with 861 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 11 games.
2023 Season
Before the 2023 season, Taylor had some discussions about his contract with the Colts. However, they reached an agreement, and he signed a new three-year contract in October 2023.
In the final game of the season, Taylor had his best performance of the year, rushing for 188 yards and a touchdown. He finished the season with 741 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games.
2024 Season
In Week 3 of the 2024 season, Taylor ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He had another huge game in Week 16, rushing for 218 yards and three touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week for this game.
Taylor finished the 2024 season with 1,431 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl again, his second time being chosen.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2020 | IND | 15 | 13 | 232 | 1,169 | 5.0 | 77.9 | 62 | 11 | 36 | 299 | 8.3 | 39 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | IND | 17 | 17 | 332 | 1,811 | 5.5 | 106.5 | 83 | 18 | 40 | 360 | 9.0 | 76 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2022 | IND | 11 | 11 | 192 | 861 | 4.5 | 78.3 | 66 | 4 | 28 | 143 | 5.1 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2023 | IND | 10 | 7 | 169 | 741 | 4.4 | 74.1 | 49 | 7 | 19 | 153 | 8.1 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | IND | 14 | 13 | 303 | 1,431 | 4.7 | 102.2 | 70 | 11 | 18 | 136 | 7.6 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Career | 67 | 61 | 1,228 | 6,013 | 4.9 | 89.7 | 83 | 51 | 141 | 1,091 | 7.7 | 76 | 5 | 13 | 7 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2020 | IND | 1 | 1 | 21 | 78 | 3.7 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 1 | 1 | 21 | 78 | 3.7 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Records and Achievements
NFL Records
- Most consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown: 8 games (2021)
- Youngest player in NFL history with at least 2,000 total yards and 20 total touchdowns in one season (2021)
Colts Team Records
- Most rushing yards in a single season: 1,811 (2021)
- Most rushing yards in a single game: 253 (January 3, 2021)
- Most rushing touchdowns in a single season: 18 (2021)
- Most total touchdowns in a single game: 5 (2021)
- Longest rushing play: 83 yards (2021)
NFL Honors and Awards
- Bert Bell Award (2021)
- First-team All-Pro (2021)
- 2x Pro Bowl (2021, 2024)
- NFL rushing yards leader (2021)
- NFL rushing touchdowns leader (2021)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (2020)
