I got emotional when I got back to my room, just kind of going through the toe injury and things like that. Displayed above-average route anticipation against Ole Miss. Alontae Taylor has amazing awareness that, combined with his length, makes it easy for him to break up passes and snag interceptions. Vs Mississippi, at the top of the screen, he is on the outside. At Alabama, at the bottom of the screen he gets a small jam and then runs stride for stride with the receiver matching his COD at the top of the route. In Off Man coverage gives up too much space From the deep third, he gets good depth and reacts well to plays in front of him to get downhill quickly. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. (Photo: Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire, Getty), CBS Sports: No. However, with the size and skill set to play cornerback, he transitioned to the secondary ahead of his freshman season in 2018. Four months later, he thinks he made the right decision. Here is what was said of the former Tennessee cornerback before the Saints selected him: STRENGTHS: Good-sized athlete with plus length and sprinting speed collects himself to transition, stay balanced and elevate to make plays on the ball shades himself to restrict catch windows along the sideline recovers well and works his body into position without making early contact (zero penalties in 2021) highly physical downhill with the competitive appetite to match rams and bounces off blockers, maintaining his pursuit quarterbacked an option offense and played wide receiver in high school and is comfortable with the ball in the air senior captain and was voted to the SEC leadership council in 2020 (served two terms as vice chair) productive on special teams (462 career snaps) and has the skill set to be a four-phase coverage player. He can be grabby at multiple points of the route, which will inevitably result in penalties in the NFL. Works hard to make plays against the run. Negatives: A bit slow in transition and loses a halfstep turning to run with opponents. ***Full NFL.com Draft Breakdown from analyst Lance Zierlein***. He is a smooth player with an opportunistic play style. Works well with safeties and effectively communicates with teammates in the secondary. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Attacks the ball with authority, with quick read-and-react ability. He's a versatile player who has been all over the field. He will see a heavy dose of special teams in the NFL and might be a teams best option at gunner. Heres our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee WR | NFL Draft Scouting Report, 2023 NFL Draft Big Board: Top 25 Prospects Heading Into NFL Combine Include Jalen Carter, Brian Branch, and Bijan Robinson, Boston Colleges Jaiden Woodbey Is Less Tweener, More Swiss Army Knife, Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa | NFL Draft Scouting Report, Michael Jefferson, WR, Louisiana | NFL Draft Scouting Report, Las Vegas Raiders 2023 Draft Prospects To Target at NFL Combine Include Anthony Richardson, Dawand Jones, and Marvin Mims. The first shocking New Orleans Saints pick of the 2022 NFL draft came in the second round when they selected former Tennessee Volunteers cornerback Alontae Taylor. While in Mobile, Taylor showcased some of the intriguing skill set that should result in the Tennessee CB hearing his name called in the 2022 NFL Draft. This week ahead of the 2023 NFL scouting combine, he New Orleans Saints. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. As you can see from the measurements above, Taylor has the requisite height. Taylor displays his violence and appetite to contribute in run support. Due to his slower change of direction and processing skills, his future projects to be in a zone-heavy scheme. Works well with safeties and effectively communicates with teammates in the secondary. Today, Ill be profiling a speedy defensive back from the SEC. Works routes and keeps the play in bounds after the catch. New Orleans Saints NFL draft picks 2022: Analysis for every selection, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Keeps the action in front of him, effectively communicates with teammates in the secondary and immediately reads or diagnoses plays. While his initial projection is a backup in the NFL, he has the potential with further development to compete to be a starter. While the results can be inconsistent, he is never passive about tackling or playing off contact. At Kentucky, here is his lone interception in 2021. (He) played the last month of the season with that injury. Heres our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Alontae Taylor, Tennessee CB | NFL Draft Scouting Report. (86%*), Drafted: ROUND: 2 - Pick Number: 49 (NO), (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance), SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION HOLIDAY BOWL. Current. Positives: Quick, explosive lineman who plays with a relentless style. Works well with safeties and effectively communicates with teammates in the secondary. Originally committed to Vanderbilt in 2015, he held an on/off relationship with Tennessee as the program underwent coaching changes. NOTES 31 Starts in career 2022 Reese's Senior Bowl Invitee By earning his keep at the line, Taylor showed he didnt need elite long speed to carry receivers downfield. During his four playing seasons, he tallied 8,225 yards of total offense that was dominated by over 6,000 rushing yards. Taylor, who also participated in the Senior Bowl, has had official top-30 visits with the Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans. Draft Year 2022. This after measuring 60 1/8 and 199 pounds. There arent many NFL draft analysts clued into the annual event better than Daniel Jeremiah, who has risen to prominence with NFL Network. He also has the length and anticipation for teams emphasizing Cover 2/Cover 3. Career: Former consensus top 10 recruit in Tennessee. Speed . 19 cornerback, The Draft Network: No. Marginally productive throughout his college career. 54) - 1 Round 3 - New Orleans Saints (No. Hes confident and feisty but allows separation from off-man coverage due to his high-cut frame and leggy transitions. Leon O'Neal, Texas A&M. He shows this on the field too where he rarely loses a foot race, Has the fluid hips required for a starting pro corner - allows him to transition well from his back pedal, Has a high football IQ with an excellent understanding of receivers' routes - skills he picked up while playing that position in high school, Is an outstanding run defender who is a big hitter and not afraid to put his body at risk. Today, I am taking a look at Tennessee cornerback Alontae Taylor. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! Good size, length and speed Never caught more than 20 passes in any single season. Heres our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Matthew Butler, Tennessee DT | NFL Draft Scouting Report. Is able to separate himself from blocks and out-leverage his defender to alter the course of the ball. Solid change of direction to mirror release; break on routes Top-30 visits throughout the NFL are well underway, which means were starting to get a clearer look at who and what teams may be targeting. Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem? On Dec. 1, Taylor announced that he would not play in the Music City Bowl to get healthy for the Senior Bowl and NFL Draft preparations. Alontae Taylor. Plays through pain. Alontae Taylor was drafted to the Saints as the 49th overall pick. He will try to rip the ball out too often rather than making the tackle. Heres the latest were hearing from around the NFL. Works hard to make plays against the run. He must fill out his frame, but hes a scheme-versatile defender who could eventually break into the starting lineup. His leadership helped rally the team after loss to Florida. Overall, Taylor has good size and length and plays a physical brand of football. Weaknesses: Start-stop ability needs hard plants and major shifts of weight, delaying his burst to the ball. Limited burst to close allows pitch-and-catch from off-man. Blocks with a nasty attitude. Despite his physicality being one of the exciting elements of his scouting report, Taylor needs to understand where to draw the line. Must improve his footwork running routes. Im glad that I did it.. His speed and mentality would be a nice addition to the defense. There arent many NFL draft analysts clued into the annual event better than Daniel Jeremiah, who has risen to prominence with NFL Network. Possesses an average closing burst. Taylors game relies on his instincts to fire in coverage and his makeup to keep his assignment suppressed. Film Highlights When taking on blocks he uses a good base, pad level and hand placement and works hard to shed. His raw ability and Tennessees dearth of options at cornerback saw Taylor thrust into plenty of early playing time, and he started eight times as a freshman. If you like what you see on this site, we now have an ad-free option available for a donation of $25 per year, and you can enjoy the site entirely ad-free! The cornerback measured 62 7/8 and 195 pounds. With the Chargers having needs at various positions, we will do our best to evaluate the players that we feel fit the team precisely. Stays on his feet, plays off blocks, and bullies his way behind the line of scrimmage to impact the game. He was slowed by a hamstring injury that forced him to miss two games in 2020, but in eight games Taylor started five times and did not allow a touchdown pass on 234 coverage snaps per Pro Football Focus. E++ subscribers can access ESPN.com's complete NFL draft coverage, plus exclusive player grades, rankings and expert analysis from Scouts 4 prospect in Tennessee. Works hard to make plays against the run. Analysis: Long-limbed cornerback with the size and top-end speed for bump-and-run duties on bigger targets. Copyright: ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Arrived on campus as a wide receiver before making the switch to defense his freshman season. Taylor reads the eyes of the quarterback and bolts ahead of the throw for the pick-six. Aiming point when tackling is too high Taylor does a good job of reading the routes in front of him, as well as reading the quarterbacks eyes to get a great jump on the ball. Alontae Taylor NFL Draft Profile Position: Cornerback School: Tennessee Current Year: Senior Height: 60 Weight: 196 pounds Wingspan: 75 Arm: 31 7/8 Hand: 9 Bengals bringing in 3 defensive prospects for pre-draft visits The Bengals will be clearly eyeing some help defensively in the 2022 NFL Draft. Others think that argument only holds up if a national title is on the line. 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