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Measureables:
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 215 lbs
40 Time: 4.57
Games Watched:
Stanford vs. Washington St. 2012
Stanford vs. Arizona and Washington 2011
Positives:
Very well rounded. Above average at catching the ball out of the backfield and in pass protection. Very good vision and locates and hits the hole. Runs very hard, but not explosively. Can make some people miss, but not overly elusive. He is a very balanced runner. Gets better as the game goes on, in each of the 2012 games I watched he was very meh in the first half but in the 2nd half he kicks it into another gear and thats where you see him gash the defense for 5+ yards at a time. In his 2011 tape, he was better on tape. Part of this is due to his offensive line which had David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin, two guys that made the NFL jump after last year and were key cogs to that O line. He also has an alter ego named Kulabafi.
Negatives:
Gets into trouble when he dances behind the LOS. Early in the game is easily tackled 1 one 1, and is stopped in his tracks. Does not have top end speed. When he sees a guy coming to make the tackle, he tries to juke him instead of running him over. Sometimes he just stops churning his legs when he comes into contact with defenders on the second level.
Conclusion:
I saw a comparison of BenJarvus Green-Ellis and I would tend to agree but I think Taylor is a notch above. While he'll probably never be a feature back, he has the potential to be a good short yardage back and a good 3rd down back, as he can catch out of the backfield. I also love his ability as a pass protector since he picks up the blitz so well. I wouldn't mind the Titans taking him in the 4th or so, but to be honest I think I'd rather have Marcus Lattimore.
Previous Prospect Profiles: