J'Mari Taylor is a running back and 2026 NFL Draft prospect who played at North Carolina Central and the University of Virginia during his collegiate career. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Taylor walked on at North Carolina Central, an HBCU in Durham, and redshirted his first season before slowly working his way into the rotation over the next two years. He rushed for 428 yards in 2022 and 331 yards in 2023 before breaking out in 2024 as the Eagles' featured back, rushing for 1,146 yards and 15 touchdowns while earning NJCAA-equivalent MEAC recognition and catching 29 passes for 257 yards and two scores. That production earned him a transfer opportunity to Virginia as a graduate student for the 2025 season, where he became one of the ACC's most productive backs despite the jump in competition. He started all season for the Cavaliers, rushing for 1,062 yards and 14 touchdowns on 222 carries at 4.8 yards per carry, catching 43 passes for 253 yards and a score, and finishing with 1,335 all-purpose yards. He won the ACC regular-season rushing crown, became the first Virginia running back to rush for 1,000 yards since 2018 and the first to earn first-team All-ACC honors since 2004, and was named a Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist as a former walk-on.
Standing 5-9 and 204 pounds, Taylor runs with outstanding contact balance and a low center of gravity that makes him exceptionally difficult to bring down when defenders engage him. He carries power behind his pads, pressing the line decisively with compact authority and frequently generating yards after initial contact on inside zone concepts where his strength and short-area quickness are most effective. His pass protection grading is a genuine positive, as he plays with the physicality and willingness to square up blitzers that gives him third-down credibility at the next level. He also demonstrated legitimate pass-catching ability in the ACC, with 43 receptions showing enough hands, route awareness, and space creation to function as a checkdown option. The limitations in his evaluation include tight hips that restrict lateral elusiveness, modest explosiveness through the second level, and a career that was built primarily against Group of Five and mid-level Power Four competition. Taylor projects as a late-round Day 3 pick or priority undrafted free agent with the physical running style, contact balance, and pass protection potential to compete for a roster spot as a complementary back.
