Jonathan Taylor Focused on Indianapolis Colts Future, Not What Could Have Been

He could have obliterated the NCAA FBS career rushing record with just a few hundred yards. He also could have chosen an Ivy League school instead of Wisconsin. But Jonathan Taylor has always tried to be smart and take everything into consideration when making difficult decisions.

The choice to declare for the NFL wasn’t as simple as it seems for Indianapolis Colts rookie running back Jonathan Taylor.

As with every decision in life, there are pros and cons.

Taylor didn’t just prove himself on a football field in college, he showed he was smart in taking his classes seriously. Before deciding to attend Wisconsin, Taylor considered Yale and Harvard of the Ivy League.

Imagine how that could have impacted his football career? He rushed for 6,174 yards in three years at Wisconsin. He twice received the Doak Walker Award, given to college’s top running back. Taylor is just the third repeat winner.

If he stayed at Wisconsin, Taylor seemed a lock to shatter the NCAA FBS career rushing record of 6,405 yards, set by San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey. He could have graduated with an easy class load, just 20 hours shy of a degree.

But in analyzing the risk versus the reward, he could also jeopardize his value as a pro by suffering a serious injury as a senior. Draft analysts were correct in assessing Taylor would be one of the first running backs drafted — he was the third taken when the Colts traded up three spots to select him in the second round with the 41st overall choice.

His four-year rookie contract is for $7,829,150, with $3,253,928 guaranteed. It's not always about money, but in this case, a college injury likely would have cost him this paycheck.

Taylor explained his thought process in a recent Zoom video conference call.

“I took accomplishments on the field, school, and timing,” Taylor said. “Timing as far as, where did I feel like I was at? Where did I feel like my coaches thought that I was at as far as my development? You really kind of look at those things and you mentioned the record – to stay for another year and try to get the record. What are the risks, rewards for that? What is the risk, reward? 

"You go to your time at school. Are you far away from graduating? Are you very close to graduating? Did you graduate? Then you go into the timing. Where do you feel like you’re at and where do the coaches feel like you’re at as far as your development? Do they feel like you’re able to take that next step? Do you need that next level coaching? Do they feel like, ‘Hey, maybe you need to stay another year, maybe you might need to have a little bit more of a development in your game.’”

There’s no question Taylor had the polished NFL-ready talent. And he is committed to returning to school to get a degree.

“I’m about 20 credits from graduating,” he said. “Those are like a semester and two or one summer classes. School has never been a problem for me. I enjoy going to school. I enjoy learning. I always did so that was kind of like, ‘I can do that. That’s not a problem for me.’”

Ultimately, just like when mulling college options, Taylor favored what would benefit him most in football.

“I was at Yale three times. It was nice. I enjoyed myself every time I went up there,” he said. “That was tough. It was a tough decision to decide between Ivy League and the University of Wisconsin. That was a tough choice.”

The hardest choices in life always are. Taylor, 21, is confident he has made the best decisions to get him to this point.

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)