Jonathan Taylor pro comparisons: The next Marshawn Lynch or Nick Chubb?

Jonathan Taylor pro comparisons have the former Wisconsin football star being likened to Marshawn Lynch and Nick Chubb ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.

In just three seasons at Wisconsin, Jonathan Taylor ran for 6,174 yards to put himself second in school history in that category. He led the Big Ten in rushing all three seasons, topping 2,000 yards in each of the last two.

After being used little as a pass-catcher over his first two seasons, Taylor had 26 receptions and five touchdowns last year as he averaged 9.7 yards per catch. So any question about his all-around ability at the next level, even with reduced targets as the season went on, were somewhat set aside.

As is typical of a Wisconsin running back coming into the NFL, Taylor carries concerns about his workload (926 career carries). Ball security is also a concern, as he fumbled 18 times over his three seasons in Madison (seven fumbles in 2019).

With solid size (5-foot-10, 226 pounds), good speed (4.39-second 40 at the NFL Combine) and a straight-ahead style, the pro comparisons to Taylor are within a fairly narrow range of similarly built and skilled backs.

Jonathan Taylor pro comparisons

• The Draft Network compared Taylor to Nick Chubb
• NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein sees Taylor as Ryan Mathews with durability
• Walter Football sees Marshawn Lynch in Taylor
• Mike Tagliere of Fantasy Pros is on the Taylor-to-Chubb comparison bandwagon
• Pro Football Focus used their analytic bent to compare Taylor to DeMarco Murray
• Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports went in the way-back machine to compare Taylor to Ahman Green, before offering a healthier version of James Conner as a more recent comp

Taylor is in the conversation to be the first running back drafted this year, perhaps to the Miami Dolphins with one of the latter two of their three first-round picks. The Kansas City Chiefs could also consider him with the 32nd overall pick, and that’s also a spot a team may consider trading up to get him. Looking toward the second round, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers probably have Taylor firmly on their radar.

Taylor has a chance to step in and play a lot right away, with untapped upside as a pass-catcher in a more open NFL offense. That points closely to what Mathews was when he was healthy and at his peak, with some “Beast Mode” mixed in.

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