Jonathan Taylor at Wisconsin
Photo: Bely Medved from Madison, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Running back, Wisconsin, 2017–⁠19

Jonathan Taylor

Number
No. 23
Height
5′11″
Weight
219 lb
Class (2019)
Junior
Hometown
Salem, NJ
Born
Jan 19, 1999, in Salem, New Jersey

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Jonathan Taylor played running back at Wisconsin (2017–⁠19). He won the 2018 and 2019 Doak Walker Awards. He finished fifth in the 2019 Heisman vote and was a consensus All‑American in 2018 and 2019. The Indianapolis Colts took Taylor in round 2, No. 41 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
2,194
Rushing yards, 2018 (Wisconsin, 8–⁠5)
Best game
321 yards
At Purdue, week 12, 2018: No. 1 rushing game in FBS that week
National rank
No. 1
In FBS in rushing yards, 2018
Drafted
No. 41
Round 2, 2020 NFL Draft (Indianapolis Colts)

Career highs

321rushing yards, career highat Purdue, 20184rushing touchdowns, career highvs. Kent State, 20192receiving touchdowns, career highat South Florida, 2019

Honors

Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.

Rushing

Rushing yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2017Wisconsin2701,7946.61275
2018Wisconsin3072,1947.11688
2019Wisconsin3202,0036.32172
Career8975,9916.74988

Receiving

SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2017Wisconsin89511.9024
2018Wisconsin8607.5030
2019Wisconsin262529.7536
Career424079.7536

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2017Wisconsin23RBFr.
2018Wisconsin23RBSo.
2019Wisconsin23RBJr.5′11″219

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsageAdj. rush
2017Wisconsin3120.1456th (n=287)0.1244.332%0.15
2018Wisconsin2990.2479th (n=300)0.1572.336%0.20
2019Wisconsin3580.2180th (n=287)0.1377.037%0.24

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2019 Wisconsin 14 games, 2,003 rushing yards, 21 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 30atSouth FloridaW 49–⁠016135238248
Sep 7vs.Central MichiganW 61–⁠019102320317
Sep 21vs.MichiganW 35–⁠142320327215
Sep 28vs.NorthwesternW 24–⁠1526119115315
Oct 5vs.Kent StateW 48–⁠019186448329
Oct 12vs.Michigan StateW 38–⁠02680213322
Oct 19atIllinoisL 23–⁠242813212212
Oct 26atOhio StateL 7–⁠38205201415
Nov 9vs.IowaW 24–⁠223125004218
Nov 16atNebraskaW 37–⁠2125204219211
Nov 23vs.PurdueW 45–⁠2428222151––
Nov 30atMinnesotaW 38–⁠171876216239
Dec 7vs.Ohio StateL 21–⁠342014814528
Jan 1 ✦vs.OregonL 27–⁠282194018243
2018 Wisconsin 13 games, 2,194 rushing yards, 16 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 31vs.Western KentuckyW 34–⁠318145247––
Sep 8vs.New MexicoW 45–⁠1433253343––
Sep 15vs.BYUL 21–⁠2426117015314
Sep 22atIowaW 28–⁠172511301726
Oct 6vs.NebraskaW 41–⁠2424221388––
Oct 13atMichiganL 13–⁠3817101023––
Oct 20vs.IllinoisW 49–⁠202715901912
Oct 27atNorthwesternL 17–⁠311146010––
Nov 3vs.RutgersW 31–⁠1727208338130
Nov 10atPenn StateL 10–⁠2220185171––
Nov 17atPurdueW 47–⁠4433321380––
Nov 24vs.MinnesotaL 15–⁠371912002018
Dec 27 ✦vs.MiamiW 35–⁠327205141––
2017 Wisconsin 13 games, 1,794 rushing yards, 12 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Sep 1vs.Utah StateW 59–⁠10987141––
Sep 9vs.Florida AtlanticW 31–⁠1426223364––
Sep 16atBYUW 40–⁠618128118––
Sep 30vs.NorthwesternW 33–⁠241980211––
Oct 7atNebraskaW 38–⁠1725249275––
Oct 14vs.PurdueW 17–⁠930219167117
Oct 21vs.MarylandW 38–⁠1322126115124
Oct 28atIllinoisW 24–⁠101273029––
Nov 11vs.IowaW 38–⁠1429157019114
Nov 18vs.MichiganW 24–⁠10191320521−3
Nov 25atMinnesotaW 31–⁠020149153––
Dec 2vs.Ohio StateL 21–⁠27154107330
Dec 30 ✦atMiamiW 34–⁠2426130019113

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2020
Height5′10¼″
Weight226 lb
Arm length31⅛″
Hand size9½″
Wingspan75⅜″W
40-yard dash4.39 s
10-yard split1.46 sW
Vertical jump36″
Broad jump10′3″
Bench press17 reps
3-cone drill7.01 s
20-yard shuttle4.24 s

Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

7 seasons, 89 games with a stat; latest team: Indianapolis Colts.

Pro Bowls: 3 (2021, 2024–⁠25) · First-team All-Pro (AP): 2021

All-Pro teams: AP first team 2021; Pro Football Writers first team 2021; Sporting News first team 2021, 2025.

SeasonTeamGCarYdsTDRecRec yds
2020Indianapolis Colts152321,1691136299
2021Indianapolis Colts173321,8111840360
2022Indianapolis Colts11192861428143
2023Indianapolis Colts10169741719153
2024Indianapolis Colts143031,4311118136
2025Indianapolis Colts173231,5851846378
2026 (so far)Indianapolis Colts5101398613106
NFL career891,6527,996752001,575

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat. Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams by NFL season: rosters and honors, Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

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