BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — After the 18-year-old tailback, still an unknown in training camp, took the short pass and accelerated through the No. 1 defense on his way to a score in a preseason scrimmage at Camp Randall Stadium, you knew, right then, that Jonathan Taylor was special. Or had special talent.
UW director of athletics Barry Alvarez was watching from the sidelines on that August night in 2017.
"And I was thinking, 'Oh, man, that's a freshman?'"
Forty games later — in what would be Taylor's penultimate appearance in his No. 23 jersey — Alvarez recalled how the All-America running back responded to an elite defense by noting, "When you look at him in that Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State, that was really impressive."
Continuing a season-long trend in which he saved his best for the best — averaging 130 yards in seven matchups against rushing defenses ranked in the Top 30 nationally — Taylor had 20 carries for 148 yards and one touchdown in a 34-21 loss to the Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
On Friday night that became Taylor's new mailing address in the National Football League. The Indianapolis Colts thought enough of Taylor to move up in the draft — packaging their No. 44 and 160 picks and trading them to Cleveland for the Browns No. 41 selection in the second round.
That's where Colts general manager Chris Ballard got his man, Taylor, who was projected as a late first-rounder in some mock drafts. Afterwards, Ballard explained, "He's a unique talent and anytime a unique talent starts to fall a little bit, at that point we're like, 'Man, we need to go get that player.'"
Ballard has a unique feeling and understanding of the Badger culture and how much it was shaped by Alvarez, a College Football Hall of Famer. In the late '80s, Don Morton, who had preceded Alvarez as the UW head coach, recruited Ballard as an option quarterback out of Texas City, Texas.
But his career was cut short by injuries. When Alvarez took over the program in 1990, Ballard, who wore No. 17, was still on the roster as a redshirt sophomore wide receiver. He missed spring drills while rehabbing from knee surgery and subsequently never saw any game action.
"I remember him as a tough, gritty, hard-nosed guy, an overachiever," said Alvarez, who has followed Ballard's career arc in the NFL over the years from pro scout to GM. "I've been impressed with the way he has moved up the ranks. Obviously, he has done a good job in player evaluation."
Earlier this week, Alvarez evaluated Taylor's development at Wisconsin.
"Anybody who has watched him play can see that he has put up big numbers — they speak for themselves — plus he's durable," Alvarez said. "He has worked on his hands and I think he'll even get better as a receiver out of the backfield. He's the whole package.
"He can run in traffic. He can get you short yardage. He can come out of the trash (on the line of scrimmage). You have to have good vision and patience to be a great running back and he has that. He has a lot of natural ability that our coaches fine-tuned. Every time he touches it, he's a home-run threat.
"What also stands out about him — he's dependable and a great person. He will be an unbelievable locker room guy. He's the guy you want on your team because you can build around him."
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit had pretty much the same take on Taylor.
"I like to talk about his character, his humility," Herbstreit said on ABC's telecast of the draft. "He wants to deflect everything. Talk about his linemen. Talk about the play-calling and the coaches. Talk about the fans. He doesn't want to take any of the credit."
Citing Ballard's ties to Wisconsin, Herbstreit added, "He's probably been sitting there, waiting, hoping to get his hands on this Badger, and he got a great three-down back in Taylor … I really think he improved as a receiver this year to be able to be a guy who can beat those linebackers and get open."
Taylor had 26 catches for 252 yards (9.7) and five touchdowns in 2019.
Through his first two seasons combined, he had 16 receptions for 155 yards.
On Thursday night, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper suggested of Taylor, "If he didn't have the fumbles, despite not being a great receiver, I think he would have been a top-20 pick. He's a phenomenal pure runner. Great speed. Great instincts. And tremendous production.
"He's got tread on the tires, but he hasn't been hurt."
ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL scout and director of personnel, echoed that sentiment, saying, "He comes into this draft totally clean. From a guy who's had over 900 touches, he's totally clean from an injury perspective which is rare."
As far as Taylor's fumbling issues, Riddick observed, "Ball security is a fixable skill. That's not something he was born with. That's something he can fix."
Colts quarterback Philip Rivers has some familiarity handing off the ball to a Badger tailback. As a Charger in San Diego and Los Angeles, it was Melvin Gordon. Now he's got Taylor in the Indy rotation along with Marlon Mack, who rushed for 1,091 yards in 2019 (Mack is entering his contract year).
During his Zoom chat with the Indianapolis media, Taylor was gracious and grounded, per usual. He mentioned how he wanted to get up to speed quickly on learning a "plethora" of routes and protections so that "if and when Mr. Rivers needs me, I'll be ready."
While waiting to be interviewed by ESPN's Maria Taylor, no relation, JT conceded, "I'm already thinking about things I need to do in order to come into the building ready."
Vintage Taylor in so many respects. Ron Dayne can attest to his respect for elders and formality.
"I keep telling him, 'Stop calling me Mr. Dayne,'" said Wisconsin's all-time leading rusher. "He's such a nice kid. Just a normal kid. A down-to-earth kid. You could never tell he was a star running back."
What about Taylor reminds Dayne of Dayne?
"It's probably his knack for the end zone," said Dayne, who rushed for 71 career TDs. "He's not looking to just get the first down. His eyes are looking down field. That's how I did it."
Baun heads to the Bayou with Saints
If Taylor was disappointed about not being selected in the first round, he didn't show it. Neither did Wisconsin outside linebacker Zack Baun to any great extent. After acknowledging the obvious — "I didn't expect to fall this far" — he stressed how excited he was to be taken by the New Orleans Saints.
On Friday night, Baun was the 10th pick in the third round. Moreover, the Saints traded up 14 spots to get him — dealing a future third-round pick in 2021 and swapping their No. 88 with Cleveland for No. 74 overall — in what was an overwhelming endorsement of Baun's upside.
"I got a chance to see him earlier this year down at South Florida," Riddick said of the UW's season opener. "He's someone the coaching staff raved about as far as his leadership, his tenacity, his versatility ... they really liked when he was on the line of scrimmage and he was rushing the passer.
"He can play off the ball and play in the stack position as a Sam 'backer (strongside). Maybe even Mike (middle). But this is a guy whose job is going to be, 'Get after the quarterback and put them on their back,' because that's what he has been doing successfully at Wisconsin."
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah compared Baun to Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Uchenna Nwosu. "He (Baun) is athletic, he's versatile," said Jeremiah, also a color analyst for the Chargers. "He has the ability to really bend once he gets to the top of his rush and flatten towards the quarterback."
Baun fills a need for the Saints, who lost linebacker A.J. Klein in free agency. He also adds his name to a growing list of successful outside linebackers from Wisconsin since 2014: Joe Schobert (Round 4), Vince Biegel (R4), T.J. Watt (R1), Garret Dooley (undrafted free agent), Leon Jacobs (R7) and Andrew Van Ginkel (R5).
"He really turned into a great technician," Alvarez said of Baun. "That's what I saw out of him this year. Having been a high school quarterback, he was a good athlete. I was just impressed with how he improved on his techniques, how he would set things up and then have a counter move."
Prior to the NFL combine, Taylor and Baun trained together in Arizona.
Fittingly, they both got the phone call Friday night that they've been dreaming about forever.
"It's way above it," Taylor said of his previously acquired accolades, "and it's nothing you can prepare for. You try and think about how it's going to feel (to get drafted) but until it happens you won't really know."
Added Baun, "I'm so happy I got picked and am fulfilling a lifelong dream."
