Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: Alontae Taylor, Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee Volunteer Alontae Taylor was set to be a late round draft pick, but after putting up a great showing at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, showed that he has the talent to be drafted in the earlier rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft.

The cornerback position might not be the biggest priority for the Las Vegas Raiders, but it is still a necessity and can benefit by drafting a prospect whose draft stock is on the rise.

The former four-star wide receiver played cornerback for the Vols from day one out of pure necessity.

“Outside cornerback who possesses good length. Taylor is deployed in press, off man and a variation of zone coverages. He has above-average speed, allowing him to carry most wideouts vertically,” NFL Draft Bible said.

At 6-foot, 195 pounds, Taylor carries himself on to the field with plenty of confidence to match with whoever lines up across him, thriving in press coverage, where he disrupts and redirects receivers at the line of scrimmage.

There’s no doubt about keeping up with elite talent, as he faced plenty of good receivers in the SEC.

Taylor tallied a total of 60 tackles (41 solo), one tackle for a loss, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and two interceptions in his senior season in Knoxville.

“His length allows him to break up passes from behind. Taylor turns for the ball if he is in position to do so. He baits quarterbacks in zone coverage. Getting in the face of receivers and feisty play in general shows that he has the mentality to succeed in the NFL,” NFL Draft Bible added.

Taylor snagged an interception from Carson Strong at the Senior Bowl to turn the momentum around. While there were flaws on the play from both sides of the field, Taylor came up on top.

A L 🍪 N T A E !@taeetaylor with the @seniorbowl INT
pic.twitter.com/AXqSUnk9UA
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) February 5, 2022

The Raiders will be in the market of adding depth at the cornerback position whether it's through free agency of the draft, and adding Taylor via the draft can help aid some of the issues at the secondary and not jeopardize the salary cap.

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