UW freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor appears ready to play this season if needed

MADISON – Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor isn’t too good to be true. 

Yet the freshman tailback might be too good to keep off the field in 2017.

Taylor, from Salem, N.J., has flashed both speed and power during preseason camp and impressed running backs coach John Settle by picking up the offense quickly.

RELATED:Natrell Jamerson appears to possess all the physical tools to play safety

The 5-foot-11, 214-pounder impressed the Big Ten Network crew with two touchdowns during a closed scrimmage Friday night.

The first score came on a 70-yard run – against the No. 1 defense. The second came against a mix of reserves when Taylor made a one-handed grab of a short pass from Alex Hornibrook, broke the attempted tackle by linebacker Mike Maskalunas and outran the defense to the end zone.

“Looked great tonight,” BTN analyst Tom Dienhart wrote on Twitter.

Chris James and Bradrick Shaw appear set to handle the bulk of the carries this season. 

Rachid Ibrahim, a graduate transfer from Pittsburgh, is a receiving threat and a solid runner. However, he missed the 2015 season because of an Achilles’ injury suffered in camp and did not carry the ball last season. 

Taiwan Deal, who underwent off-season surgery on his right ankle, appeared to have a legitimate chance to open as UW's third tailback. Deal has missed time because of right-ankle problems, however, and was not in uniform Friday.

Deal’s absence has given Taylor more opportunities and the freshman has capitalized. 

Taylor, who has been timed at 10.49 seconds in the 100-meter dash, rushed for a state-record 2,815 yards as a senior at Salem High School. He broke the mark set by former UW tailback Corey Clement.

Clement was 5-11 and 210 as a freshman at UW. He showed in camp he was ready to play immediately and rushed 67 times for 547 yards (8.2-yard average) and seven touchdowns as the No. 3 tailback behind Melvin Gordon and James White.

Is Taylor ready to contribute this season?

“I think he has done enough stuff where he is earning those reps,” UW coach Paul Chryst said when asked about Taylor’s status. “There are so many (reps) that aren’t clean, but those are good moments if you can learn from them.

“I think we’ve got to keep putting him in those situations because he has done some good things.”