Name: Brandon Taylor
Position: Safety
College: LSU
Height/Weight: 5-11/209
Strengths: While Mark Barron is considered the best overall safety in this year's draft, arguably the most physical and violent player on the board for the position is LSU's Brandon Taylor. He's a big-time hitter who knows how to use his strength when covering receivers at the line of scrimmage and can provide an intimidation factor in the secondary. An instinctive player, Taylor is a sure tackler who has great speed (4.50 in the 40 at the combine) and point of attack. He was often overshadowed in the LSU secondary, playing alongside Morris Claiborne and Tyrann Mathieu.
Weaknesses: What he has in size and strength, Taylor lacks somewhat in coverage. He's more of a strong safety with speed. His ball skills are lacking and he has the knack of being overaggressive. In today's NFL, the safeties are being watched closer than any other position, so he'll have to find a balance between being aggressive and taking the play too far.
Where He's Headed: Taylor looks like a solid pick for the third round. In most mock drafts, that's where he's pegged, although a run on safeties in the second round could move him into the late second. He'll be headed to a team that needs not only strong safety help, but special teams assistance as well.
How He Helps the Cowboys: While Barron will help the Cowboys right away, Taylor might need a little more adjustment. Still, he's definitely a similar player. He'd be drafted to start, as early as this year. And in the meantime, his relentless playing style should be good enough to help Joe DeCamillis' special teams units. Don't forget Danny McCray starred at LSU on special teams and has been the Cowboys' most consistent player covering kicks the last two years. Taylor would eventually start, but would have a big role right away.
Position: Safety
College: LSU
Height/Weight: 5-11/209
Strengths: While Mark Barron is considered the best overall safety in this year's draft, arguably the most physical and violent player on the board for the position is LSU's Brandon Taylor. He's a big-time hitter who knows how to use his strength when covering receivers at the line of scrimmage and can provide an intimidation factor in the secondary. An instinctive player, Taylor is a sure tackler who has great speed (4.50 in the 40 at the combine) and point of attack. He was often overshadowed in the LSU secondary, playing alongside Morris Claiborne and Tyrann Mathieu.
Weaknesses: What he has in size and strength, Taylor lacks somewhat in coverage. He's more of a strong safety with speed. His ball skills are lacking and he has the knack of being overaggressive. In today's NFL, the safeties are being watched closer than any other position, so he'll have to find a balance between being aggressive and taking the play too far.
Where He's Headed: Taylor looks like a solid pick for the third round. In most mock drafts, that's where he's pegged, although a run on safeties in the second round could move him into the late second. He'll be headed to a team that needs not only strong safety help, but special teams assistance as well.
How He Helps the Cowboys: While Barron will help the Cowboys right away, Taylor might need a little more adjustment. Still, he's definitely a similar player. He'd be drafted to start, as early as this year. And in the meantime, his relentless playing style should be good enough to help Joe DeCamillis' special teams units. Don't forget Danny McCray starred at LSU on special teams and has been the Cowboys' most consistent player covering kicks the last two years. Taylor would eventually start, but would have a big role right away.