Taylor Joins UW Cornerback Pipeline to NFL — 6 Drafted in Past 5 years
At the University of Washington, Keith Taylor played in the significant shadows of cornerbacks Jordan Miller, Elijah Molden and more recently Trent McDuffie, though at 6-foot-3 he was taller than all of them.
Taylor will take this advantageous height of his to the NFL and see if he's meant for the next level after getting drafted on Saturday in the fifth round by the Carolina Panthers with the 166th overall pick.
The Long Beach, California, product was the fourth and final Husky to hear his name called in the draft — all defensive players — joining outside linebacker Joe Tryon, who went in the first round to the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers; defensive tackle Levin Onwuzurike, a second-rounder for the Detroit Lions; and nickel back/safety Elijah Molden, a third-rounder with the Tennessee Titans.
Height aside, Taylor deserved an extra look because he hails from a college football program nationally ranked for more than a decade for its ability to supply NFL cornerbacks.
The Huskies have had a pair of corners selected at the same draft in three of the past five held. In 2017, it was Kevin King (Green Bay) and Sidney Jones (Philadelphia); in 2019, it was Byron Murphy (Arizona) and Jordan Miller (Atlanta); and now in 2021, it's Molden and Taylor.
Taylor already has been welcomed to the franchise by Shaq Thompson, one of the Panthers' defensive leaders and previously the last UW player selected by Carolina, as a first-rounder in 2015.
A 19-game starter in 43 games for the Huskies who didn't redshirt and played right away, Taylor is considered an untapped talent. While rangy and fast, he was considered a support piece rather a lineup mainstay throughout his time in Seattle who needed to have a breakout moment.
In other words, steal a pass.
He carried the burden of failing to register an interception as a collegian, though he had a ball bounce off his hands from BYU's Zach Wilson and end up being a touchdown.
Taylor generated interest from the Panthers with an exemplary Senior Bowl showing, which led to the following assessment from NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah while the game was in progress:
"That's just another phenomenal job by Keith Taylor Jr., who's having a really big-time game. It's hard to find corners that size, that can move like that. He's so fluid and to be able to find and locate and play the ball is a bonus. You don't find 6'2" [sic] corners like that can really run and play down the field like that."
Carolina went into this draft clearly is trying to upgrade its secondary, initially choosing South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn with its first pick and then Taylor four rounds later.
Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer, a Seattle native and one-time Seahawks executive, made the call to go with Taylor. The corner was one of 28 Pac-12 players who were drafted this time.
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