Ideal Landing Spots for Davion Taylor
Having played just one game of high school football and a single season at the JUCO level, Davion Taylor is someone who made leaps, bounds and strides during his time at Colorado, and fast ones at that.
The 6-foot, 228-pound product from Magnolia, Mississippi, really blossomed in the second half of his senior season, recording 47 tackles (7 tackles for loss, 34 solo) and a sack over his final six games.
A track athlete through college, Taylor is extremely fast to the ball and uses speed as his springboard for physicality. Taylor’s speed paired with a relentless tackling style make up for his lack of size. With coverage limitations, his best fit would be as a middle or inside linebacker that mainly plays in the box and is heavily featured in blitz packages.
Projected Round: 3rd round-5th round
Philadelphia Eagles: Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz’s linebacking core is paper-thin following the release of Nigel Bradham and departure of Kamu Grugier-Hill.
Taylor possesses all the traits - tough, physical, fast, hard-nosed - Schwartz loves in a linebacker and he is extremely coachable. The longtime coordinator is no stranger to molding linebackers in his 4-3 defense, and Taylor would be his most intriguing project in years.
Playing behind a defensive line that featured All-Pro Fletcher Cox and Brandan Graham would free up gaps for the fleet-footed sprinter to get into opposing backfield.
Additionally, the fact the Eagles defense typically uses multiple defensive backs on passing downs would take away some of his coverage responsibilities.
With a wide-open competition at linebacker, Taylor would have the ability to compete for significant playing time immediately which is rare for a player taken in the middle rounds.
Still, it might be best to ease the former JUCO product into a rotation with TJ Edwards and 2015 MAC Defensive Player of the Year Jatavis Brown to allow him to adjust to NFL game speed. As a quick learner, he’d have the opportunity to develop into a centerpiece of this defense for years to come.
This outcome may have legs, as the Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala reported the team used one of their 30 virtual pre-draft visits with Taylor.
New Orleans Saints: The Saints haven’t had a dominant linebacker since Jonathan Vilma’s retirement following the 2013 season. Enter Taylor, a prolific playmaker with a similar frame and set of skills as the ten-year veteran.
New Orleans was fourth in the league in run defense in 2019, allowing just 91.3 YPG, and have the luxury of adding another piece in the middle rounds that’ll make opposing teams one dimensional.
Taylor’s instincts, speed, and range make him a perfect fit in this defense as a guy who could roam around in the middle of a zone while making plays all over the field.
Waiting to take a linebacker until later would represent great value as it’d allow the Saints to use the 24th overall pick, their only in the first two rounds, on another pass catcher for Drew Brees.
With Damario Davis on the wrong side of 30, and Kiko Alonso coming off a torn ACL and set to turn 30 in August, this is the perfect opportunity for the inexperienced Taylor to learn from two seasoned veterans while being groomed as their eventual replacements.
Cincinnati Bengals: Ranking 29th in the league in turnovers in 2019, with a -14 margin, the Bengals need more havoc-wreaking, game-changers on defense. Adding someone with Taylor’s physical intensity and nose for the football would surely give them a boost.
With an older defensive line that had trouble pressuring the quarterback, and a unit that ranked dead last in stopping the run, the Bengals could use someone with Taylor’s short-area quickness to prevent big plays on the ground and control the clock.
The Mississippi native would fit right into second-year defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s scheme as a rotational mike linebacker.
Incumbent Germaine Pratt had a solid rookie season, ranking fourth on the team with 76 tackles, but could use some fresh legs behind him. Plus, Taylor could be featured alongside Pratt in some packages on early downs.
If presumptive number one pick Joe Burrow is going to have any success in year one, he’s going to need a defense that gets off the field on third down, keeps them in games, can get him the ball back, and will limit clock milking drives. Taylor will aid with all of the above.
