Devin Taylor Scouting Report

[RS12]

Prospect: Devin Taylor, DE, South Carolina
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 275 lbs
Grade: 6.42 (Grading Scale)

Scouting Report:

Athleticism:
+Terrific athlete with impressive closing speed
+Rare build among defensive end prospects, still has room to fill out his frame as well
+/-Flashes burst off the snap but isn’t entirely consistent with it
-Uncomfortable and awkward footwork in space, really struggles to change directions cleanly
-Top heavy player with some balance issues related to his height, ends up on the ground too often

Intelligence/Effort:
+Extremely high motor player who is always pursuing the ball until the whistle and makes a high number of hustle plays
+Very ball aware player who can find it quickly
-Lacks great anticipation skills for play recognition and feel for the intentions of blockers

Pass Rush:
+/-Has bullrush potential, but his power rush is criminally underutilized on tape
+Height becomes an advantage when he utilizes an effective swim move, can easily get his arm over the top of blockers
+Uses long arms effectively in getting them into passing lanes, can eliminate passing windows entirely
-Uninventive pass rusher on the edge, falls into the trap of trying to simply run past tackle around the corner all too often
-Limited in edge rush ability by stiff hips and lack of combination moves

Run Support:
+Has ability to occupy and control multiple blocker at once on the edge, can translate that inside with lower pad level and more bulk
+Likes to split gaps when playing from the inside, does so to good effect with high motor and burst

http://www.detroitlionsdraft.com/201...medium=twitter

[Maxmadden]

Devin "Too Tall" Taylor

[Gaede]

Really reminds me of Chandler Jones last year.

Might be someone to consider.

[xwalker]

Devin Taylor is a difficult player for me to evaluate.

He appears to have the physical ability required and looks great on some plays; however, he does not consistently get the results that I would expect.

Also, he sometimes appears awkward and makes some quirky moves.

He has this move were he appears to be doing a spin, but he stops half-way through and ends up with his back against the OLineman. I noticed this in a couple of SC games and thought he just got stopped mid-spin; however, I noticed him doing it again the the Senior Bowl. It appears to be intentional and he seems to be trying to push the OL from this position.

I compare it to the way that Herschel Walker would finish runs. He would end up pushing the defender for a few extra yards with his back against them. It was the reason that his shoulder pads were extra long in the back.

I can understand why a RB would use this move, but it's very odd for a DLineman.