Patriots coach compares J.J. Taylor to Darren Sproles

For someone who stands just 5 feet 6 inches, J.J. Taylor had no problem standing out during the Patriots’ win over Miami on Sunday. The rookie running back played just nine offensive snaps in his NFL debut, but made a good impression almost every time he was on the field.

Taylor finished with four carries for 28 yards (7 yards per carry) to go along with a reception for 4 yards. In his first NFL game, Taylor looked like he could make an impact. He certainly [...]

For someone who stands just 5 feet 6 inches, J.J. Taylor had no problem standing out during the Patriots’ win over Miami on Sunday. The rookie running back played just nine offensive snaps in his NFL debut, but made a good impression almost every time he was on the field.

Taylor finished with four carries for 28 yards (7 yards per carry) to go along with a reception for 4 yards. In his first NFL game, Taylor looked like he could make an impact. He certainly wouldn’t be the first undersized running back to do so. The Patriots had Dion Lewis (5-8) lead them in rushing in 2017. This week, however, Patriots running back coach Ivan Fears brought up another interesting comparison.

"The guy is a pretty good player, really a good runner. He's sort of fits into that mold of small backs like [Darren] Sproles and those guys that've been successful," Fears said. "But it's early. It really is early to tag any kind of title on him or anything like that. But I tell you what — we're really happy to have him out there. The guy is busting his butt. I'm happy with that."

Like Taylor, Sproles is 5-6. He carved out an outstanding 15-year career in the NFL. Sproles did it all — he finished with 3,552 career rushing yards, 4,840 career receiving yards as well 8,352 career kick return yards and 2,961 career punt return yards. He was also a three-time Pro Bowler as a return specialist.

Taylor is a ways away from achieving those heights, but the undrafted free agent is off to a nice start. He was released on cutdown day but was the first undrafted free agent to be signed to the 53-man roster. He also made a small impact in his first NFL game. Taylor said he needs to keep on grinding.

"My mindset is just to do what I've been doing," Taylor said. "Keep working, keep working to improve and get better and do all the things that the coaches ask me to do. Nothing changes on my behalf. I'm still going to work just as hard as I've been working and keep improving from there."

Fears said: "He can play hide and seek really well with the guys. He's really hard to find. ... Who knows? Size could be an advantage for him. You never know. But we love what he's doing. The guy plays big for his size."

mdaniels@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @MarkDanielsPJ