George Walker IV / Tennessean.com, Nashville Tennessean via Imagn Content Services,
Titans' 2017 Third-Round Pick Selected in USFL Draft
Taywan Taylor was chosen in the same area of the 2017 NFL Draft as Cooper Kupp.
To say their careers have gone in different directions is an understatement.
Kupp, the 69th overall selection that year, is basking in the glow of a Super Bowl MVP performance that lifted the Los Angeles Rams to a championship a little less than two weeks ago. That followed a regular season performance that led to his being named Offensive Player of the Year and his first Pro Bowl selection.
Taylor, taken by the Tennessee Titans three spots later, hopes to use to rebooted spring football league to re-start his career.
The New Orleans Breakers selected Taylor in the 16th round of the USFL Draft on Wednesday. That made him the 30th wide receiver taken in a draft that focused on specific positions with each round. For example, wide receivers were limited to Rounds 13-17.
Others with ties to the Titans who were selected Wednesday include safety Ladarius Wiley (19th round, Philadelphia Stars), center Nico Falah (20th round, Pittsburgh Maulers) and running back Dalyn Dawkins (27th round, Houston Gamblers). Tackle Paul Adams was among a quartet of players with Titans ties taken on Tuesday, when Rounds 1-12 were conducted.
For Taylor, the latest transaction is a far cry from five years earlier when the Titans made him the eighth wide receiver off the board. With 53 receptions for 697 yards and two touchdowns – all in two seasons with Tennessee (2017-18) – he has been the least productive of those eight.
A rundown of the career receiving numbers for the top eight wide receivers selected in the 2017 NFL Draft:
| Player, team | Round | Pick | Catches | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Corey Davis, Tenn. | First | Fifth | 241 | 3,343 | 15 |
Mike Williams, LAC | First | Seventh | 227 | 3,662 | 26 |
John Ross, Cin. | First | Ninth | 62 | 957 | 11 |
Zay Jones, Buff. | Second | 37th | 171 | 1,884 | 11 |
Curtis Samuel, Car. | Second | 40th | 191 | 2,114 | 14 |
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt | Second | 62nd | 323 | 3,855 | 26 |
Cooper Kupp, LAR | Third | 69th | 433 | 5,517 | 40 |
Taywan Taylor, Tenn. | Third | 72nd | 53 | 697 | 2 |
Among the wide receivers selected after Taylor that year were Chris Godwin, Kenny Golladay and Josh Reynolds, who the Titans signed as a free agent last offseason. Another, Josh Malone (128th overall), signed with Tennessee on Tuesday.
Taylor’s best season was 2018, when he was third on the team with 37 receptions and second with 466 receiving yards.
The Titans traded him to the Cleveland Browns at the end of the 2019 preseason, and in two seasons with that franchise he appeared in six games without a reception. His last NFL game was Nov. 29, 2020. He spent time with the Houston Texans last preseason.
Dawkins was the Titans’ leading rusher of the 2019 preseason and made the season-opening roster that year. He ultimately appeared in just two games.
Falah signed with Tennessee as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He never has appeared in an NFL regular season game.
Wiley spent a brief time with the Titans during the 2019 offseason.
