The Indianapolis Colts had a standout young running back last season in Jonathan Taylor.
The 23-year-old running back had a great season last year.
He was one of the main reasons the Colts were even close to making the NFL playoffs in 2021.
In two seasons with the Colts, he’s rushed for nearly 3,000 yards and nearly 30 touchdowns.
Everything he’s done in Indianapolis has people buzzing about him.
But is he the best young running back in the NFL?
Taylor Crushed All Other Running Backs In 2021
The star running back had a phenomenal 2021 season that put other running backs to shame.
His 1,811 rushing yards were 552 yards ahead of the next closest running back, Nick Chubb.
7 running backs finished with over 1000 yards rushing in 2021:
Jonathan Taylor – 1811 👀
Nick Chubb – 1259
Joe Mixon – 1205
Najee Harris – 1200
Dalvin Cook – 1159
Antonio Gibson – 1037
Zeke Elliot – 1002— George Reed Jr (@GeorgeReedFF) February 20, 2022
The 18 touchdowns from 2021 put him three touchdowns ahead of Damien Harris and James Conner.
He also held the most 20+ and 40+ yard rushes last season.
Every single rushing statistic saw Taylor hold the top spot.
However, he can give even more to the team in 2022 with veteran quarterback Matt Ryan on the roster.
Ryan Can Use Taylor As A Multipurpose Weapon
The young running back can improve more with Ryan joining the team.
Taylor’s explosive power, combined with his great field vision, gives him an edge over every other running back in the NFL.
Ryan will utilize that dangerous combination with the play action pass.
This now makes Taylor a threat in the ground game and the passing game.
With him forcing defenses to focus on him, the crafty veteran quarterback can use that as an opening to make deep passes downfield.
However, he needs to ensure Taylor gets a lot of carries to force defenses to keep their focus on him.
If he does this, the success of the young running back will continue in 2022.
Is Taylor The Next Derrick Henry For The Colts?
While Taylor dominated every running back, old and young, in 2021, some think he’s as good as Derrick Henry.
Even Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders likes Taylor.
“The NFL has a lot of great young running back talent.. I think you put Jonathan Taylor & Derrick Henry at the top of that list” ~@BarrySanders#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/s7IhiuN1Ai
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 12, 2022
While many running backs aspire to be like Sanders, most current NFL fans look at Henry as the standard in football today.
With the showing Taylor put on last season, he impressed a lot of fans and players.
However, is he really the next Derrick Henry?
When you compare the two based on their best seasons, you see some similarities.
Henry saw his best season in 2020 while Taylor’s came in 2021.
According to Stathead Football, Taylor had one more touchdown and 0.1 more yards per attempt over Henry in the best season comparison.
However, the biggest thing in the comparison is how the young running back had over twice the receptions and he had two receiving touchdowns.
That makes him a dual threat compared to Henry.
Few running backs, young or old, can be a dual threat out of the backfield.
Taylor is extremely talented and a workhorse at running back for the Colts.
With what he’s shown everyone he can do, it puts him into the Derrick Henry mold.
However, he might be the one young running back to break that mold, making him the best young RB currently in the NFL.