Raiders Assistant GM Champ Kelly Talks Seventh-Round Pick Trey Taylor

The Las Vegas Raiders were able to land the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award winner, safety Trey Taylor, in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Nov 19, 2022; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Air Force Falcons safety Trey Taylor (7) looks on / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Every single one of the Las Vegas Raiders' eight picks in this year's NFL Draft was vital.

Regardless of where they are by the end of the 2024 season, each pick, from Round 1 to Round 7, had meaning behind it and was seen as a piece that can contribute.

The Raiders' first of their two seventh-round picks, safety Trey Taylor, was a selection worth much more than the spot he fell to. The Air Force product won the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award as college football's top defensive back.

Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly discussed in a press conference on Wednesday what about Taylor intrigued the Raiders.

"I think the things that we saw with him -- first of all, he was -- speaking of his character and things outside of football -- he's top-notch work ethic," Kelly said. "He's a leader both on and off the field. He exemplifies everything you want from a teammate and a person. And then, you turn on the tape and you see a guy that plays the game the right way, has a physicality about his game, then he had three interceptions last year. And we saw a guy that can come in, get acclimated to our system, potentially contribute on defense but also come in and have value on special teams and fourth down, and that was important for us.

"And if you look at any of our later round draft picks and most of the additions that we had, we know that for a player to get on the field early on, they have to have versatility, and they got to be able to contribute on special teams."

Taylor was named a first-team All-Mountain West selection for his 2023 season, a campaign in which he finished with 74 tackles, five for loss, 0.5 sacks, four passes defensed and three interceptions, including a pick-six in 13 games.

He spent five seasons at Air Force, but did not see the field in his first two with the program. In total, Taylor recorded 205 tackles, 11 for loss, 2.5 sacks, six interceptions, 13 passes defensed and a forced fumble in 36 career games.

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