Darius Taylor is a Pass-Catching Back for Minnesota. Darius's 2024 season ranks in the 15th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 246 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
2024 Production
Performance Analysis · 2024 · vs RB peers
Third-down weapon out of the backfield. Routes, hands, and separation in coverage define this role as much as rushing.
- ▸Below-average efficiency vs RB peers — value comes through volume, not per-play impact.
- ▸High-volume role — one of the team's most-used RBs by play share.
- ▸Particularly dangerous on passing downs — efficiency spikes in obvious pass situations.
- ▸Production faded as the season progressed — 0.34 EPA/play decline from first to second half.
- ▸Peak game: 1.04 EPA/play in Wk 3 vs Nevada (SP+ -15).
NIL Market Tier· 2024
On3 valuation ↗Rotational contributor. Smaller collective or local deals.
Tier is a model estimate based on position, school brand, performance rank, and usage — not a reported deal. NIL deals are private. For a real market valuation, see On3's NIL profile, which factors in social following and actual deal tracking.
Historical Comparables · RB · efficiency + volume + value
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2016 | 288 | 0.340 | 3.9 | 97.9 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2016 | 292 | 0.340 | 4.3 | 99.3 |
| Breece Hall | Iowa State | 2020 | 301 | 0.340 | 4.5 | 102.3 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
| Hassan Haskins | Michigan | 2021 | 280 | 0.380 | 4.8 | 106.4 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Car | Rush Yds | Avg | Rush TD | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | vsRhode Island | W48-0 | — | 14 | 64 | 4.6 | 1 | 4 | 48 | 0 | 0.40 |
| 3 | vsNevada | W27-0 | -15.2 | 11 | 124 | 11.3 | 2 | 5 | 37 | 1 | 1.04 |
| 4 | vsIowa | L14-31 | 15.8 | 10 | 34 | 3.4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0.12 |
| 5 | @Michigan | L24-27 | 10.6 | 13 | 36 | 2.8 | 2 | 10 | 52 | 0 | 0.34 |
| 6 | vsUSC | W24-17 | 11.9 | 25 | 144 | 5.8 | 0 | 5 | 56 | 0 | 0.13 |
| 7 | @UCLA | W21-17 | -1.3 | 16 | 30 | 1.9 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 0.27 |
| 9 | vsMaryland | W48-23 | -3.9 | 15 | 81 | 5.4 | 1 | 5 | 34 | 0 | -0.03 |
| 10 | @Illinois | W25-17 | 9.6 | 22 | 131 | 6.0 | 1 | 9 | 58 | 0 | 0.38 |
| 11 | @Rutgers | L19-26 | 6.4 | 10 | 28 | 2.8 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 0 | -0.28 |
| 13 | vsPenn State | L25-26 | 24.6 | 17 | 58 | 3.4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | -0.07 |
| 14 | @Wisconsin | W24-7 | 3.0 | 32 | 143 | 4.5 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0.02 |
| 1 | vsVirginia Tech | W24-10 | 10.0 | 20 | 113 | 5.7 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 0.25 |
Usage & Situational · Pro
- Standard downs
- 0.15
- Passing downs
- 0.38
- Pass / Rush EPA
- 0.47 / 0.12
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Career · rolling EPA, game by game
Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.