cowboyjoe
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 28,423
- Reaction score
- 733
Tough season bruises Taylor Mays' NFL draft position
The two-time All-American safety was seen as a possible top-five pick in 2009. But after a season that fell below USC's standards and earned him criticism, scouts say his stock has dropped a little.
1 2 next | single page
USC's Taylor Mays misses a tackle as Stanford's Toby Gerhart rushes to score on Nov. 14. (Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times)
December 5, 2009
E-mail Print Share Text Size
The unofficial NFL draft season, and the three months of speculation that comes with it, doesn't start in earnest until mid-January.
But for Taylor Mays, the pre-draft roller-coaster ride started 11 months ago when the two-time All-American safety made the surprising announcement that he was returning to USC for a fourth and final season.
"It's funny," Mays said this week. "I've been, what's the word? Scrutinized."
Picked apart might be more accurate.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Mays was projected as a possible top-five pick in 2009, a key player for a dominant defense who was too physically gifted for teams to pass up.
As he prepares for today's game against Arizona, his last appearance at the Coliseum, Mays' stock has fallen, though not precipitously.
NFL scouts cite a lack of interceptions. They question his hands, tackling and playmaking skills.
The Seattle native's play this season has elicited criticism from media and fans, and even earned him an unnamed, and unflattering reference in the congressional record regarding late hits.
Mays, 21, is not concerned.
He has two more games to add to a resume that includes 49 starts, two more games to leave an impression, as he did with a ferocious hit in last season's Rose Bowl victory over Penn State.
"Regardless of what's going on, I think I will end up going higher than I would have last year," Mays said of the April draft. "There isn't anything on the field that I can't do or I can't learn how to do."
With the NFL scouting combine in February and USC's pro day in the spring, Mays is expected to wow scouts and general managers in tests such as the 40-yard dash, the vertical jump and the bench press.
Whether that will be enough to make up for the ground -- and money -- that Mays might have lost by coming back remains to be seen.
But Mays said he had no regrets about returning for a season that fell below USC's usual standard.
For the first time since 2001, the Trojans are headed to a second-tier bowl game, their streak of seven consecutive Pacific 10 Conference titles ended.
Mays struggled through a knee injury that sidelined him for a September loss at Washington -- the only game he sat out in four seasons -- and he got blindsided in October when a California congressman, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Gold River), referred to him, though not by name, as a "headhunter" during the House Judiciary Committee hearing on NFL head injuries.
Then came the Trojans' late-season meltdowns against Oregon and Stanford, blowout losses that had media and fans alike proclaiming the end of an era.
Still, Mays said, "I know I'm a better player than I was last year."
He is a more productive tackler. Despite lining up 10 or more yards off the ball, Mays leads the Trojans with 82 stops. That's 29 more than last season, with two games left to play.
But with only one interception this season and five in his career, there is still the perception by some that Mays underachieved.
The two-time All-American safety was seen as a possible top-five pick in 2009. But after a season that fell below USC's standards and earned him criticism, scouts say his stock has dropped a little.
1 2 next | single page
USC's Taylor Mays misses a tackle as Stanford's Toby Gerhart rushes to score on Nov. 14. (Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times)
December 5, 2009
E-mail Print Share Text Size
The unofficial NFL draft season, and the three months of speculation that comes with it, doesn't start in earnest until mid-January.
But for Taylor Mays, the pre-draft roller-coaster ride started 11 months ago when the two-time All-American safety made the surprising announcement that he was returning to USC for a fourth and final season.
"It's funny," Mays said this week. "I've been, what's the word? Scrutinized."
Picked apart might be more accurate.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Mays was projected as a possible top-five pick in 2009, a key player for a dominant defense who was too physically gifted for teams to pass up.
As he prepares for today's game against Arizona, his last appearance at the Coliseum, Mays' stock has fallen, though not precipitously.
NFL scouts cite a lack of interceptions. They question his hands, tackling and playmaking skills.
The Seattle native's play this season has elicited criticism from media and fans, and even earned him an unnamed, and unflattering reference in the congressional record regarding late hits.
Mays, 21, is not concerned.
He has two more games to add to a resume that includes 49 starts, two more games to leave an impression, as he did with a ferocious hit in last season's Rose Bowl victory over Penn State.
"Regardless of what's going on, I think I will end up going higher than I would have last year," Mays said of the April draft. "There isn't anything on the field that I can't do or I can't learn how to do."
With the NFL scouting combine in February and USC's pro day in the spring, Mays is expected to wow scouts and general managers in tests such as the 40-yard dash, the vertical jump and the bench press.
Whether that will be enough to make up for the ground -- and money -- that Mays might have lost by coming back remains to be seen.
But Mays said he had no regrets about returning for a season that fell below USC's usual standard.
For the first time since 2001, the Trojans are headed to a second-tier bowl game, their streak of seven consecutive Pacific 10 Conference titles ended.
Mays struggled through a knee injury that sidelined him for a September loss at Washington -- the only game he sat out in four seasons -- and he got blindsided in October when a California congressman, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Gold River), referred to him, though not by name, as a "headhunter" during the House Judiciary Committee hearing on NFL head injuries.
Then came the Trojans' late-season meltdowns against Oregon and Stanford, blowout losses that had media and fans alike proclaiming the end of an era.
Still, Mays said, "I know I'm a better player than I was last year."
He is a more productive tackler. Despite lining up 10 or more yards off the ball, Mays leads the Trojans with 82 stops. That's 29 more than last season, with two games left to play.
But with only one interception this season and five in his career, there is still the perception by some that Mays underachieved.
