BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Suppose you're a pro scout, offensive coordinator, head coach, personnel director, general manager, or owner. What would you like to know about Jonathan Taylor that you don't already know? What do you NEED to know prior to Thursday and the start of the National Football League draft?
The numbers are the numbers. They speak for themselves. No other tailback in FBS history — not Herschel Walker, not Ron Dayne, not LaMichael James — has ever rushed for more yardage through their junior season than Taylor, a back-to-back Doak Walker Award winner.
But what are Taylor's selling points beyond the raw numbers (926 carries, 6,174 yards, 6.7 yards per rush, 50 touchdowns)? Anybody can Google his college statistics or bio and see that he ran for over 200 yards 12 times, two shy of Dayne, the all-time leader in that category. What really stands out about his game, though?
"One is his ability to understand the blocking schemes," said John Settle, the UW running backs coach. "He's going to understand who is supposed to do what if it's an inside zone and who's working together if it's an outside zone. That allows him to set up blocks with the patience that he has.
"That's the one thing that jumps off the screen when you watch him. Even though everybody knows how fast he is (4.39 in the 40), he has the ability to play slow and allow the blockers to glue up, so to speak, to set up a chance for him to hit a crease and take off and break one or two."
No matter who should draft Taylor — and most projections have him going late in the first round or early in the second — Settle is confident that he will quickly pick up the nuances of the offense, any NFL offense, another selling point in respect to his readiness to play right away as a rookie.
"One thing that teams are beginning to understand the more that they talk to him and the more they study him from a football standpoint," Settle said, "he's a very smart guy and the learning part comes easy for him. I don't care what scheme they put him in, he won't have a problem running it.
"That appeals to a lot of people. One thing we've talked about — and he has heard it from me for three years — is that football is football. Once you understand the scheme, all you have to do is figure out what they're calling it, the terminology. Once you figure that out, it's just playing ball."
Settle has heard from NFL teams throughout the pre-draft process. Some people, he feels, are just doing their due diligence on Taylor, whether they have a real conviction to taking a running back in the first round or not. Others have expressed a more genuine interest in what they may be getting.
Settle has been quizzed on a number of things. "The one thing that was coming up," he said, "was 'How hard of a worker is he? Is he willing to work?' The ball security issue, of course, is a concern. They'll ask, 'Is he willing to work on that? Is he willing to do what it takes to correct that?'
"My answer has always been the same. He does a heck of a job in practice (on ball security). He gets into a game and sometimes it gets away from him. As far as his work ethic, his willingness to work, you cannot question that. And he will work on it (fumbling) and I'm confident he will get that done."
In 41 games, Taylor lost 15 fumbles (Tony Dorsett and Franco Harris each had 90 fumbles during their NFL careers. Walter Payton had 86. Adrian Peterson fumbled 19 times over his first three seasons.).
"He had that glitch once … but it's something that I know that he has worked on to improve," Settle reiterated. "Like I've told him, like I tell all our young men, it's a matter of pride and being able to give that ball to the official after every play unless it's after a touchdown and you want to spike it."
Settle brought up another selling point: durability.
"One thing that really impressed me — and we're talking about watching him over the last three years — is the fact that he didn't miss any games or practices," Settle said. "That speaks volumes to him physically as a young man, as an athlete taking care of his body during the offseason.
"He prepared to carry the load during the season — to do it week-in and week-out. I don't care who you are — and you can look at a lot of tailbacks over the last few years in the Big Ten and Power Five — there are going to be guys who are nicked up and they're going to miss a game here and there.
"But the fact that he was able to put up the numbers that the did for us and not miss any time …
(Taylor had 299, 307 and 320 carries in his three seasons at Wisconsin.)
"To me, that is the most impressive thing about him."
Yet another selling point is Taylor's personality. Or his coachability.
"Like I was telling one of the (NFL) coaches last week, I kept waiting for him to change," Settle said. "It was hard to believe that a young man could come out of high school and be as courteous and good he was off the field. But in the three years we had him, he never changed.
"It speaks volumes to his upbringing, the people who raised him and worked with him in Salem, New Jersey. I don't care who drafts him, they're going to get a well-grounded young man. It's my belief, he has more desire than just getting drafted and making it in the NFL. He wants to be an impact player."
What are the odds that Taylor can make that jump from college to the pros? In this case, Settle is a good source of information as a former running back himself. In 1988, while playing in Atlanta, he went to the Pro Bowl after becoming the first free agent in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards.
"The first time he lines up against an NFL defense and they close on him, he's going to realize the holes open and close rather quickly," said Settle, who played four years in the league and coached six seasons with three different teams. "You can't be guessing. You've got to know what you're doing.
"He'll have to adjust to the size of the linebackers that he's going to have to block and the speed and athleticism that they bring when they are rushing. I know it's a challenge he's looking forward to. He has shown that he can block. Now he has to prove that he can do it on a consistent basis.
"I have no doubt that he will. We've talked about it in some of our meetings. He's proven that he can run it, catch it and now he has to be a complete back — the total package. Especially if you're a first- or second-round draft pick because a lot is going to be invested in you."
How has the NFL game changed — from Settle's viewpoint — since the late '80s?
"I don't think it's as physical as it was when I played," said the 54-year-old Settle, who carried 207 pounds on his 5-foot-9 frame. "They've taken some of the physicality out of it and it's going to be more technique driven. I was speaking with one coach and the ability to play in space is where it's going now.
"You have running backs line up at different positions and do things out of the backfield. We toyed around with it and did a little bit of it at Wisconsin. It's something more teams are getting into probably because of the success the Carolina Panthers had with Christian McCaffrey.
"People are trying to open things up and more it more of a show out in space."
Last season, the 23-year-old McCaffrey had over 1,000 yards rushing (1,387 on 287 carries) and receiving (1,005 on 116 catches). And he was rewarded with a four-year, $64 million contract extension. For physical comparison, McCaffrey is 5-11, 205 pounds, while the 21-year-old Taylor is 5-10, 226.
"I don't know there's just one guy JT compares to; he's a combination," Settle said. "If I were to use just Wisconsin guys, he has the athletic ability to catch the ball and run routes like James White. But he's big enough and fast enough to run away from you like Melvin Gordon. It's a dangerous mix."
Settle has already accomplished something Taylor hasn't. He had his jersey number retired at his alma mater, Appalachian State. He wore No. 23. Same as Taylor with the Badgers. But Settle wasn't about to take the bait and make any comparisons between himself and Taylor.
"No flashbacks," he laughed. "I never ran a 10.4."
As a prep, Taylor's best time was 10.49 over 100 meters. He was a two-time state sprint champ.
"He's in a category of his own," Settle said. "Selfishly, I will be disappointed if a running back comes off the board in the first round Thursday and it's not him. Having seen him up-close for three years, I don't see a better guy in the country. The numbers do speak for themselves."
