PFF Top 20 for Jonathan Taylor? Not Quite
Pro Football Focus (PFF) is in the process of revealing their rankings for the Top 50 Players in the NFL. Tuesday they revealed players 31-50 including Colts linebacker Darius Leonard who came in at No. 43.
As PFF counted down their rankings, it wasn't a question of if running back Jonathan Taylor would be ranked in the top 30 players... but where?
PFF revealed 21-30 on Wednesday, and Taylor checked in at No. 21, just missing out on the top 20.
Taylor led the league in rushing in 2021 and was a perfect example of how much running backs can still matter in the NFL. The Colts' offensive line blocked well for him, but he also led the league in rushing yards above expectation, maximizing that blocking for bigger gains better than his peers. Taylor averaged 3.8 yards after contact and posted a league-leading 23 runs of 15 or more yards. -- Sam Monson, PFF
Taylor checks in ahead of No. 37 Dalvin Cook and No. 44 Nick Chubb to be the highest ranked running back so far, but Derrick Henry has yet to make an appearance on the Top 50.
Henry edged Taylor for the No. 1 spot on ESPN's NFL personnel poll of the top players at each position, but considering this is a PFF list, Henry isn't likely to crack the Top 50, let alone finish ahead of Taylor.
Taylor was PFF's No. 1 graded running back in 2021. He finished ahead of No. 2 Damien Harris of the Patriots with an 87.0 to 86.6 grade.
If you scroll way down the list to No. 17, you'll find Henry with a PFF grade of 77.3, behind the likes of Seattle's Rashaad Penny, Chicago's Khalil Herbert and Denver's Melvin Gordon.
That Henry is graded as the No. 17 running back in the NFL speaks more to the 'grain of salt' nature of PFF grades than Henry's ability, but they're unlikely to blatantly undermine their own grades with their Top 50 list.
Subjective player rankings make for good offseason fodder, but Taylor earned the No. 1 position where it mattered in 2021... on the field. He nearly lapped the field finishing more than 500 yards beyond Nick Chubb who finished second in rushing.
New quarterback Matt Ryan should be able to take some of the pressure off of Taylor and the Colts running game in 2022, but that could make Taylor even more effective when his number is called.
The question right now isn't if Taylor is the top running back in the league... he is.. but if No. 21 in the NFL is actually too low?
