J'Mari

Taylor

The Jaguars hosted the first of three mandatory minicamp practices on Tuesday, and Tuten “left the defense firmly in his dust on several big runs.” Shipley notes that these are pad-less practices and tackling is not allowed, “but Tuten would not have even given them the chance” anyway. Everything changes once the pads go on, so we can only get so excited about Shipley’s consistently positive reporting on Tuten. That said, Tuten is still turning in showings worthy of consistently positive reports. The rug could be pulled quickly if RB Chris Rodriguez (foot) returns without issue for training camp, and RB LeQuint Allen remains entrenched as the passing down back. Shipley even complimented rookie RB J’Mari Taylor as seemingly being “the only running back who was able to go run-for-run with Tuten” on Tuesday. However, Tuten is making a case for a larger-than-expected workload, though. Continue to follow his development closely.

Taylor (5’10”/199) spent the first four seasons of his college career at North Carolina Central, where he racked up 1,887 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns before transferring to Virginia in 2025. While he’s a bit undersized for the position and more quick than fast (4.63 40-yard dash), Taylor has been an above-average back when it comes to taking on contact. In his last two seasons, he averaged a respectable 3.49 yards after contact per attempt while forcing a missed tackle on 24.3 percent of his carries, per PFF. He’s an adequate receiver out of the backfield, totaling 200-plus receiving yards in each of his final three seasons, and ended his career with 98 receptions. His five drops in 2025 marked a career high, but if he can prove to be a capable pass-blocker, there could be a third-down role in his future. He didn’t see much special teams work at Virginia, but at NC Central, he totaled 213 special teams snaps, which should go a long way in helping him secure a roster spot. With two recent draft picks and a real investment in Chris Rodriguez ahead of him on the depth chart, Taylor is likely trying to win a practice squad spot unless injuries happen ahead of him.