Finding Broncos: Alontae Taylor | CB

Measurements

Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 195 pounds
Arms: 32-1/4 inches
Hands: 9-1/8 inches

Combine Results

40 Yard Dash: 4.36 seconds
Vertical Jump: 34-1/2 inches
Broad Jump: 128 inches

Stats

Pros

Length and fluidity are a big plus as a press-man corner
Long speed to keep up with crossing and vertical routes
Extremely physical and not scared to tackle with good wrap up technique and violent arrival
Violent hands at the catch point
Athletic upside to develop into a potential starter
High football IQ shows up in recognizing route concepts before they happen
Stays true to his technique in zone coverage and plays it well, though he needs refinement in his footwork

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Cons

Twitch and acceleration off of the first step is lacking
Gets beat by double moves more often than you would like due to the aggressive ball-hawking nature
Short area quickness is lacking to click and close when playing off the ball
Lanky with a bad knack for getting too vertical in his backpedal, which raises his hips and causes change of direction question marks
Aggressively grabby and a gambler that takes too many risks

Overview

With the prototypical length and a physical nature perfect for press-man coverage, Alontae Taylor is a quality boundary cornerback with a low-end starter upside in the right defensive scheme. With enough fluidity to turn, run and stay in phase pressing vertically down the field, Taylor should translate to the NFL level with relative ease as a rotational coverage player.

Possessing a nose for the ball and making big plays in the flats, Taylor fills in nicely along the boundary as a sure tackler with a large amount of violence upon arrival. There are times he allows guys to break away from him as a chasing tackler, but if he gets squared up, there is little room for extra yardage.

In coverage, Taylor does a great job staying in the hip pocket on straight-line routes but struggles with the quicker change of direction plays that task his hip flexibility. He can get incredibly grabby at the top of the stem, which could lead to a penalty issue at the next level. His recovery speed is average, but at top speed, he closes rather quickly and attacks the ball with his length with ease.

One of his most admirable traits is his ability to play zone coverage with good technique and sound assignment responsibility. He understands what is going on in front of him and places himself in the right position often enough to play in nearly any scheme, though his best fit is as a boundary cornerback in a press-man or cover-3 scheme.

Fit with Broncos

Taylor could fit with the Broncos as a depth piece to fill out the cornerback room, but the scheme fit could be a little sketchy if Ejiro Evero, Denver's new defensive coordinator, wants to run a lot of off-ball coverage. The closing speed to the ball and lack of elite short-area quickness could be an issue at the next level, but he makes up for his shortcomings in that area as a sound tackler.

If the new scheme features press man coverage or even some low zone boundary concepts, Taylor would fit very well as a developmental player for the future and a high-quality special teams player early in his career.

As far as where he could fit in if Denver plans to draft him, he would be a fine selection with one of their back-to-back fourth-round selections so long as they feel he is a fit in the scheme.

Grade: Round 4

Where he Goes: Early Fourth Round

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