Patriots: 3 offensive rookies who will make huge impacts in 2020

3. JJ Taylor

JJ Taylor will have an opportunity to showcase his skills as a running back and returner for the Patriots.

With running back JJ Taylor making the 53-man roster, the Patriots have now had an undrafted player make the team in 17 consecutive seasons.

At 5-foot-6 and 185 pounds, Taylor was the smallest draft prospect coming into the NFL this offseason. The window opened up wide for him when the Pats cut Lamar Miller and placed Damien Harris on injured reserve this past week.

Over the years, the Patriots have shown us that size definitely doesn’t mean anything when it comes to the running back position. In doing so, we’ve all been fortunate enough to see the success that Danny Woodhead (5-9, 200 pounds) and Dion Lewis (5-8, 195 pounds) were able to bring to the team during their run in New England.

While at Arizona for four years, Taylor earned Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2017 and All-Pac-12 honors in 2018. He finished his collegiate career with over 3,000 rushing and receiving yards and scored 38 total touchdowns.

It’s worth noting that Taylor was used as a returner a lot and racked up 3,750 total scrimmage yards in his four years at Arizona. Taylor could find himself getting on the field as a returner early this season for the Patriots, and don’t be surprised if he’s getting some reps as the third-down back.