Jason Taylor II NFL Draft Overview
Position: Safety
Height: 6′-0″
Weight: 215 pounds
School: Oklahoma State
2023 NFL Draft: Jason Taylor II Scouting Report
Jason Taylor II began his college football career in Stillwater during the 2018 season. He redshirted through his first campaign, appearing in three games without recording an official statistic. In his second season for the Cowboys, Taylor played in all 13 games, primarily on special teams, but did see action at safety in seven games. Taylor had 16 tackles on the season (12 solo, four assisted).
In 2020, Taylor appeared in all 11 of the Cowboys games, mainly on special teams, but did see action at safety in seven of those eleven games. For the season, Taylor recorded 12 tackles (nine solo, three assisted), and had a fumble recovery. In his third season in the Sooner State, Taylor started 13 of the black and orange’s 14 games. He had 48 tackles (37 solo, 11 assisted), including two and a half sacks, while also forcing a fumble, intercepting two passes, and defending against four passes.
In his final season in Stillwater, in 2022, Taylor played in all 13 games for the Cowboys and had an astounding 99 tackles (80 solo, 19 assisted), while also recovering a fumble and intercepting a mind-blowing, 6 passes. He also defended against seven passes.
Strengths
- Big body with long arms;
- Instinct to know when to break back on the deep ball;
- Tracks the deep pass from the quarterback’s hand to the receiver’s catch-zone;
- Is an interception machine;
- Can play the hybrid linebacker position.
Weaknesses
- Does not have the best speed;
- Does not continue to chop feet when breaking down to make a tackle, allowing the ball carrier to run right by him;
- Can be overamped, leading to costly penalties due to mental mistakes;
- Making open-field tackles was an issue, last season;
- Does not take the most efficient or effective route to the ball carrier when attempting to make a tackle.
NFL Comparison: James Wiggins
Teams With Need At Position: Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers
Projection: Rounds 7-UDFA
Bottom Line on Jason Taylor II
Jason Taylor II has some very intriguing qualities, especially the six passes he picked off during last season alone. What may cause teams to think twice about using a pick on him is that he does not have the best speed and that his tackling form enables the ball carrier to run right past him. He also has the propensity to be too amped up, which leads to mental mistakes and unnecessary penalties.
Taylor has difficulty making open-field tackles, which was most prominent last season. He also does not take the most efficient or effective route to the ball carrier when attempting to make a tackle. On the other side of the coin, he does have a strong body with long arms and has the instinct to know when he needs to break back to defend against the deep pass.
He also tracks the deep pass from the time the ball leaves the quarterback’s hand until it reaches the receiver’s catch zone which enables him to contest or even intercept the ball, which he did for Oklahoma State last year a whopping six times. He is somewhat versatile in that he could be used in the hybrid linebacker position at the NFL level.
Taylor may have had at least one year of NCAA eligibility left, in which he could have refined his skills which would have made him an earlier pick in an upcoming draft. Taylor has chosen to enter the 2023 NFL Draft, after a very productive 2022 season with the Cowboys. Even with the tremendous 2022 season Taylor had, the skills he needs to refine are such that he may not be picked in the draft and will have to sign as an undrafted free agent.
There is a chance he may be picked in the seventh round in the 2023 NFL Draft, as well. Either way, Taylor will get a chance to show an NFL team what he can do, and that team may be rewarded with a very talented football player, especially if he is able to replicate his performance from the 2022 season, at Oklahoma State.
Main Photo: Bryan Terry – USA Today Sports
