AFC South RB rankings: Where does Travis Etienne land?
![Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne (1) and Trevor Lawrence (16). [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]Jki 081421 Jagsvsbrowns 52](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fhttps-3A-2F-2Fblackandteal-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F17488573-850x560-6094e728ab121b1dccb530721fc9e0b09b0edbe48c6c44bb4d3c273cfec3f973.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne (1) and Trevor Lawrence (16). [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]Jki 081421 Jagsvsbrowns 52")
No. 2 running back in the AFC South: Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
. Jonathan Taylor. 2. player. 46. .
Meet the 2021 rushing leader, Jonathan Taylor. Heading into training camp, one of the most hotly debated questions across the league right now is whether the former Wisconsin Badger has surpassed Derrick Henry as the best running back in the NFL.
There are arguments both for and against Henry’s case but if you go by 2021 alone, Taylor is the better of the two. After all, he averaged an eye-popping 5.5 yards per carry and had a monster 18 rushing touchdowns. That’s more than 20 teams had in the NFL last year. Furthermore, he caught 40 passes for 360 yards with two receiving touchdowns.
Even though the Colts didn’t qualify for the playoffs, it was hard to find a better running back in the NFL than Taylor towards the end of the 2021 season. In Week 18, he amassed just 77 rushing yards but still averaged 5.1 yards per carry.
Keep in mind that Taylor isn’t a one-year wonder, having toted the rock 232 times for 1,169 yards with 11 touchdowns in 2020. So why isn’t he the top running back in the NFL, let alone the AFC South ahead of the 2022 season?
Taylor needs to show he can keep playing at a high level. If he does, he will probably surpass Henry as the top running back in the AFC South and the NFL. For the time being, he finishes as the second-best, which isn’t bad at all.