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Commanders Invite Gabriel Taylor, Brother of Franchise Great Sean Taylor, to Rookie Camp

The Rice standout hopes to follow in his older brother's footsteps as he enters the NFL.

Dan Lyons

Washington's Sean Taylor participates in Pro Bowl competition.
Washington's Sean Taylor participates in Pro Bowl competition. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Sean Taylor became one of the most beloved players in Washington football history in his tragically short career. Now, his younger brother Gabriel Taylor hopes to follow in his brother's footsteps.

Taylor was a highly-productive safety for Rice over the last five seasons, finishing with 239 career tackles, four sacks and 10 interceptions. He was a second-team All-AAC performer as a senior in 2024.

While Taylor wasn't selected in this weekend's NFL draft, he accepted the Commanders' call afterwards, and will attend the franchise's rookie minicamp as an undrafted free agent.

Sean Taylor was the No. 5 pick by Washington in the 2004 draft, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods and second-team All-Pro honors in his brief career. Taylor was shot and killed in a home burglary in Nov. 2007, at just 24 years old.

Gabriel spoke about following in his brother's footsteps in a 2022 Sports Illustrated feature, and envisioned an opportunity like this.

"I want to wear 21 for the Commanders," he said. "That would be the cherry on top of the cake.โ€

It may be an uphill battle for Taylor as an undrafted player, but he will get his chance to make an impression next month, with Washington's rookie minicamp running from May 8โ€“11.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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