2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: CB Keith Taylor, Washington
CB KEITH TAYLOR
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Washington
Taylor is a long versatile cornerback that may intrigue teams when the draft rolls around. Through his four seasons, he has 90 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, and 10 passes defended but, no interceptions.
He had two big pass breakups in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl in the win against Boise State. He also won the 2019 Earle T. Glant Tough Husky Award, which is given to the player who performed well in the postseason for Washington. Taylor’s length and movement skills will entice teams this spring.
Notables
Taylor was a four star recruit in the 2017 class and he was the 31st ranked corner, and 256 ranked recruit, according to 247 Sports. Played high school football at Servite and St. John Bosco, in the Anaheim California area; the former produced the Khalil brothers who were accomplished offensive linemen in the league.
Traits
A big versatile cornerback with solid athletic ability. Taylor has high hips, long limbs, yet he plays with a solid center of gravity. Does have experience on the outside and in the slot, but projects more as an outside jam/press corner. He has a low squat stance in press, very balanced with disciplined feet.
His hips are adequate at best which doesn’t help him up the stem on quick breaking routes; he’s more adept near the line of scrimmage against quick game in the short parts of the field. Covers a solid amount of ground executing bail technique, and his length allows him to force quarterbacks into disadvantageous positions in trail.
Plays with discipline in man coverage, not falling for subtle movements up the route stem. In man coverage, he does well staying in phase vertically and he has enough athletic ability to do an adequate job at staying in phase on horizontal routes; quick in breaking routes with receivers who sell their vertical stem well may give him issues.
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- New York Giants 2020 Position Review: Cornerbacks
Burst is adequate in tight areas. Taylor can wear many hats as well; he can be a sub-package LB, outside corner, nickel, 3rd safety, and he did a good job blitzing at Washington. Is a willing and aggressive tackler with a large tackle radius.
Is physical at the catchpoint and his long arms allow him to disrupt a catch attempt through the duration of a play. Has 10 passes defensed in college, but has no interceptions, which leads to a lot of warranted ball concern issues. Will struggle against deep speed type of receivers, if he doesn’t alter the receiver at the line of scrimmage.
Overall, Taylor will fit in well with a zone press team and he can execute man coverage against some NFL receivers, but certain, quicker, ones will pose an issue at times. He has all the measurables teams are looking for, and enough athletic ability to intrigue, but his lack of ball production may be an issue.
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