Jul 6, 2026 6:49 PM
Updated Jul 7, 2026 1:04 PM
NFL coaches, executives, and scouts have weighed in on where the Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor ranks among the league's best running backs.
Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor discussed his current contract situation during mandatory minicamp. (video via Jake Arthur/ColtsRoundtable)More Videos
It can be difficult to appreciate greatness as it's happening, but the Indianapolis Colts are experiencing the play of one of the best running backs to ever wear a horseshoe on their helmet: Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor is coming off a season that could be considered the best of his six years, and it wasn't even his most statistically prolific.
At 27 years old, Taylor is one of the few pillars that the Colts can confidently hang their hat on, and they'll need him to be as good as ever this year as quarterback Daniel Jones returns from a torn Achilles.
It's not just fans or people within the Colts organization that appreciate what Taylor has done, however.
For the seventh year in a row, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler polled dozens of NFL coaches, executives, and scouts to find the top 10 players at each position. The running back rankings were released on Monday morning, with Taylor coming in at No. 5:
- Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
- Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
- Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
- Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
- Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
- Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
- James Cook III, Buffalo Bills
- De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
- Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs
- Breece Hall, New York Jets
Taylor was No. 7 on last year's list. This year, he received the highest vote, No. 2, and the lowest vote, unranked.
Taylor was pumping out top-three votes this year in appreciation of a stellar six-year campaign despite shaky quarterback play around him. He appeared on all but one of the ballots, and nearly 30% of his votes were within the top three.
Taylor has 69 career rushing touchdowns. Only Derrick Henry (84) has more since 2020.
'Really special in space,' an NFL coordinator said. 'Once he hits the second and third levels with some space to operate, he's uniquely talented.'
That showed in 2025, when Taylor's four rushes of 40 or more yards trailed only Gibbs.
The presence of Daniel Jones has helped Taylor, both in play-action and in the passing game. Taylor caught a career-high 46 passes last season.
Josh Jacobs of the Green Bay Packers, Kyren Williams of the Los Angeles Rams, and Quinshon Judkins of the Cleveland Browns were all honorable mentions in Fowler's poll.
While some Colts fans may argue that Taylor's status on this year's list should be higher than fifth, in fairness, the players ahead of him have an incredibly dynamic history.
Robinson just led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2,298. Gibbs has over 3,700 yards from scrimmage and 38 touchdowns in the last two years. Barkley ran for over 2,000 yards two years ago, and McCaffrey has six 1,000-yard rushing seasons and three with 100-plus receptions.
Still, that doesn't dim Taylor's accomplishments.
Taylor broke the Colts' single-game rushing record (253 yards) as a rookie in 2020, surpassed Hall of Famer Edgerrin James' franchise career rushing touchdown record last year, and is just over 1,600 rushing yards shy of that record as well.
Taylor was a First-Team All-Pro in 2021 when he led the NFL in rushing yards, and has made three Pro Bowls. He's led the NFL in both carries and touchdowns twice, and is currently fifth in NFL history in rushing yards per game (90.5), behind only Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, and Eric Dickerson.
Last year, Taylor had eight games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage (including three with 150-plus), and five games with at least three touchdowns.
Up next for Taylor, he enters the final year of his current contract and will be as motivated as ever for another big season.
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