From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Virginia RB J’Mari Taylor.
No. 3 J’MARI TAYLOR/RUNNING BACK, VIRGINIA (RS SENIOR) – 5100, 199 pounds
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
J’Mari Taylor 5100/199 9 30 N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
9’7″ 34.5 20
THE GOOD
– Solid athletic ability
– Decent burst near the line of scrimmage
– Runs with patience
– Has ankle flexibility to jump cut
– Can make defenders miss with speed
– Good long speed
– High effort in pass protection
– Good receiving ability
THE BAD
– Inconsistent vision
– Bad play strength
– Rarely breaks tackles
– Gets arm tackled by defenders who are engaged with blocks
– Gets tackled by his ankles from diving defenders
– Bad contact balance
– Does not run through tackles
– Not a creative runner
– Struggles to adjust to new gaps being created
– Does not get through tight holes
– Will false step through gaps and decrease burst
– Has low weight, decreasing pass protection success
– Older prospect
STATS
– Started 13 games across 1 season at Virginia. Transferred from North Carolina Central, where he started 22 games across 5 seasons
– 2025: 222 rushes, 1062 yards, 14 touchdowns
– Had 43 receptions for 253 yards and 1 touchdown
– Career at North Carolina Central: 353 rushes, 1882 yards, 23 touchdowns
– Had 55 receptions for 629 yards and 9 touchdowns
INJURY HISTORY
– 2025: Opted out of Gator Bowl for undisclosed reasons, unclear if injury-related
BACKGROUND
– Turned 24 in March of 2026
– Participated in the 2026 Senior Bowl
– Named to 2025 First Team All-ACC
– Received 2024 First Team All-MEAC honors
– Named to All-MEAC Third Team in 2022
– Walked on to North Carolina Central
– Zero-star recruit out of West Mecklenburg High School in North Carolina
– Played as a wildcat quarterback in high school, passing for 1,832 yards and 21 touchdowns
– Rushed for 3,098 yards on 473 carries for 36 touchdowns
– Had 2,326 all-purpose yards in his senior season
– Also played basketball and baseball
– Transferred to Virginia because of running backs coach Keith Gaither, someone who always kept it real with Taylor and gave him the best advice
TAPE BREAKDOWN
J’Mari Taylor has been in college for six years, but his game lacks proportional polish. His usage decreased throughout the season, and he still made Third Team All-ACC. But much of his production came from runs where he wasn’t touched, and he turned into explosive plays.
Taylor struggles to break tackles near the line of scrimmage. He can sometimes make a slow defensive tackle miss with short area change of direction, but if any defenders get their hands on him, he will go down. Here, a feeble arm from a defensive back brings him down when he should have extra yards.
His inability to juke defenders or make them miss will severely hinder his ability to get past the second level. If he gets past defenders, it is because of his open-field speed, but he is not very explosive. A speedy defender can easily track his hip and swiftly take him down.
Here, he has room to bounce outside but cannot get past one tackle.
This is the biggest problem with Taylor’s game, and it will not get easier at the next level when there are hardly any runs that go untouched. He has decent vision but lacks creativity. He follows his created role within a play, but sometimes that is not enough. If the play design has him going in the A-gap, he is determined to get through that gap and struggles to change his path post-snap.
I do not think he will be successful in gap schemes because of this issue, and I like him in outside zone schemes because he has more freedom to move where he wants. His vision is inconsistent, and he will take false steps through gaps, like this play in the tight red zone.
Taylor lacks play strength, and it shows up in pass protection as well. He plays with great effort, tracks the defenders very well, and dips at their ankles to take them out. He is very smart in protection, and this is how a lot of his reps in college went.
This technique worked consistently in college, but he lacks hand placement, anchor, and play strength to protect consistently in the NFL. It comes down to his weight, which isn’t enough to hold up against linebackers. Here is what I think a lot of his reps will be like when he has to use actual technique in pass protection.
CONCLUSION
J’Mari Taylor is an older prospect who lacks the weight to rotate consistently in the NFL. He plays with high effort in all areas, but lacks the elite athleticism to overcome his light weight. He is a good athlete, but not extremely explosive, which is what he needs to be to create explosives in the NFL. His receiving ability and effort are positives. Those traits could land him a job as a third, pass-catching running back who contributes on special teams.
I would stay away from Taylor in early and mid-Day 3 because of his age and low weight.
NFL Projection: Mid-Day 3
Steelers Depot Grade: 6.4 (Pure Backup)
Grade Range: 5.9-6.9
Games Watched: vs Florida State (2025), at North Carolina (2025), at Duke (Regular Season) (2025), at Duke (ACC Championship) (2025)
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