Questions continue to swirl around USC's Taylor Mays

[cowboyjoe]

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Questions continue to swirl around USC's Taylor Mays
For USC safety Taylor Mays, the questions just keep coming. How fast did he really run? Is his NFL draft stock rising or falling? Is he a sure-fire prospect with stunning athleticism or a risky player lacking in football instincts?

The former O'Dea High star had an interesting day Tuesday at the NFL Combine, where his 40-yard dash time initially was reported at an eye-popping 4.24 seconds on the NFL Network.

That would equal the combine record run by current Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, an unbelievable accomplishment for a 6-foot-3 safety who weighs 231 pounds.

Here's video of Mays' sprint at Tuesday's combine workout:



Turns out it was too good to be true as combine officials announced his "official" time at 4.43. Still mighty fast, just not off the charts. Fellow safety Eric Berry ran an official 4.47.

And while Berry isn't nearly as big as Mays, he's regarded as a more instinctive player with better ball skills and, thus, a sure-fire top 10 pick for a team looking for the next Ed Reed.

Mays is tougher to project and opinions are mixed. Tony Pauline, writing for sportsillustrated.com, says Mays disappointed with his on-field performance at the combine.

"During drills, Mays was in poor form. As fast as he was moving forwards, Mays was terribly slow moving in reverse. It was similar to his performance at the Senior Bowl in January. Mays looked uncomfortable backpedaling during drills and one scout called his defensive back fundamentals "just bad." When asked to change direction, Mays would come to a complete stop then start up again. The contrast between Mays and players such as Earl Thomas and T.J. Ward, who lost little momentum changing direction, was striking."

On the flip side, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post says his sources indicate some teams -- including the San Francisco 49ers -- are very intrigued by Mays and that he's a legitimate Top 10 prospect.

Pete Carroll has said all along that jaws would drop among NFL scouts when they saw Mays work out and with his swift 40-yard dash time and 24 bench-press reps of 225 pounds, he certainly did that.

What will that mean when the first round of the draft plays out on April 22? At this point, that remains one of the biggest question marks facing numerous teams.

The Seahawks have an interesting advantage in all this, given Carroll knows Mays' strengths and weaknesses better than anyone as his coach the past four years.

This is a topic we previously discussed with NFL draft expert Rob Rang, who feels Berry is the only safety worth discussing with one of Seattle's top picks, given the team's numerous other needs.

I agree with Rang on this one. I don't see the Seahawks picking Mays, but it will be intriguing to see where he does wind up and whether his unquestionable physical talents convert to stardom at the NFL level.

 

[DFWJC]

"During drills, Mays was in poor form. As fast as he was moving forwards, Mays was terribly slow moving in reverse. It was similar to his performance at the Senior Bowl in January. Mays looked uncomfortable backpedaling during drills and one scout called his defensive back fundamentals "just bad." When asked to change direction, Mays would come to a complete stop then start up again. The contrast between Mays and players such as Earl Thomas and T.J. Ward, who lost little momentum changing direction, was striking."

.

These are massive warning signs. Maybe the kid will end up going to the right place and having a great career, but as a number 1 pick, the risk seems too high to me.

 

[cowboyjoe]

These are massive warning signs. Maybe the kid will end up going to the right place and having a great career, but as a number 1 pick, the risk seems too high to me.

totally agree to me he reminds me of a roy williams at safety great in the box but thats all, cant cover worth a lick;

 

[marchetta]

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The former O'Dea High star had an interesting day Tuesday at the NFL Combine, where his 40-yard dash time initially was reported at an eye-popping 4.24 seconds on the NFL Network.
...

Turns out it was too good to be true as combine officials announced his "official" time at 4.43. Still mighty fast, just not off the charts. Fellow safety Eric Berry ran an official 4.47.

FWIW, "There was some electricity in the air after USC S Taylor Mays reportedly ran a 4.24 forty this morning, followed by a 4.34 on his second attempt. Needless to say a 6-3, 230 pound prospect running that sort of time sent shockwaves across NFL Draft message boards, Twitter and all along Al Davis' spine. But as Lee Corso likes to say: “Not so fast my friend”. When the “official” times came in they only had Mays listed at 4.43. So what gives? In my opinion, that “official” time is wrong. I personally timed Mays on both attempts then went back and timed the first one again for good measure. On my stopwatch I had Mays sub-4.3 all three times. Also, the NFL Network synced up Mays’ run with those of Jacoby Ford and Trindon Holliday, who “officially” ran times of 4.28 and 4.34 respectively. Mays finished right between them. In my opinion Mays was legitimately in the high-4.2’s or low-4.3’s. So what does this do for his stock? It certainly doesn’t hurt! On one hand Mays was expected to work out extremely well so this isn’t a total shocker but to see it with your own eyes is kind of a different ballgame. I have never hopped off of the Taylor Mays bandwagon or drank the “Hatorade” like others and I still feel he is a Top 20 pick. After showcasing that freakish blend of size, speed and athleticism in front of so many NFL decision makers in Indy I would be shocked if Mays dropped out of the first round like some have speculated. One way or another Taylor Mays ranks right up there with the 2010 Scouting Combine’s most impressive performers." - draftcountdown.com

 

[burmafrd]

yeah those who only care about how big and how fast rather then how good always gas about these underwear olympics. Mays has shown in games that he is not very good in coverage which in todays NFL is a death penalty for any safety.

 

[dbair1967]

totally agree to me he reminds me of a roy williams at safety great in the box but thats all, cant cover worth a lick;

RW was not poor in coverage when he came into the league, he made alot of plays on the ball. He picked off 20 passes and had 5 twice, and had double digit passes defensed 3 yrs in a row.

The guy was well worth where he was drafted, Mays IMO will never be if he goes in the first two rounds.

 

[JPM]

RW was not poor in coverage when he came into the league, he made alot of plays on the ball. He picked off 20 passes and had 5 twice, and had double digit passes defensed 3 yrs in a row.

The guy was well worth where he was drafted, Mays IMO will never be if he goes in the first two rounds.

I amazed at how people forget how good Roy was when he first got into the league. Roy was all over the field in college and his first few years in Dallas. I hardly ever saw Mays make any plays.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

These are massive warning signs. Maybe the kid will end up going to the right place and having a great career, but as a number 1 pick, the risk seems too high to me.

The funny thing is, I actually think RLW is a much better Safety prospect then is Mays. Mays is not very good in the box either. He just doesn't tackle well enough. Mays is good when he can keep everything in front of him. If he has to turn and run, which he's going to have to do as a Safety in the NFL, then he's going to have issues and he will be schemed.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I amazed at how people forget how good Roy was when he first got into the league. Roy was all over the field in college and his first few years in Dallas. I hardly ever saw Mays make any plays.

Same here. Roy was an absolute stud his rookie year.

Too bad people want to discredit his entire career just because of his last couple seasons.

 

[DFWJC]

The funny thing is, I actually think RLW is a much better Safety prospect then is Mays. Mays is not very good in the box either. He just doesn't tackle well enough. Mays is good when he can keep everything in front of him. If he has to turn and run, which he's going to have to do as a Safety in the NFL, then he's going to have issues and he will be schemed.

I thought RLW was excellent in his peak years...and he was a real playmaker coming out of college. So you'll get no argument from me.

 

[Big Dakota]

Some think he can transition to LB, but his poor backpedal would indicate he'll struggle against good TEs as well.

 

[KingintheNorth]

Some think he can transition to LB, but his poor backpedal would indicate he'll struggle against good TEs as well.

His "poor" backpedal would be a reflection vs other defensive backs. His coverage skills would stand out if he was doing the drills with the linebackers.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Some think he can transition to LB, but his poor backpedal would indicate he'll struggle against good TEs as well.

I think he'd get his backside handed to him at LB. To me, and watch him if you guys doubt this, he doesn't tackle worth a crap. He doesn't wrap up and he doesn't use his hips to explode into the tackler at all. Unless he learns this skill, at best, he will be a LB who is along for the ride on a tackle as opposed to a guy who is sending the ball carrier backwards and that's not going to work.

 

[dbair1967]

His "poor" backpedal would be a reflection vs other defensive backs. His coverage skills would stand out if he was doing the drills with the linebackers.

What cover skills? He doesnt have any.

"Look like Tarzan, play like Jane"

I do think ultimately he'll change positions though. Not sure he'd move to ILB, but I could see some teams making him a 4-3 OLB, like Thomas Davis (who by the way was a far better safety at UGA than Mays was at USC)