phil taylor, baylor

[SteveSlaton20]

I'm not a fan of Baylor so I don't know much about their players, but I know some sites have Taylor a 1st round prospect. I just wanted to asked if he's a 3-4 DT or is he a 4-3? The reason I asked because he have similar size/weight to B.J. Raji,(PT 6'3'' 1/2, 337LBS)(BJ 6'1'' 1/2 337LBS) ,and I would love to have a B.J. Raji on this team.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by SteveSlaton20

I'm not a fan of Baylor so I don't know much about their players, but I know some sites have Taylor a 1st round prospect. I just wanted to asked if he's a 3-4 DT or is he a 4-3? The reason I asked because he have similar size/weight to B.J. Raji,(PT 6'3'' 1/2, 337LBS)(BJ 6'1'' 1/2 337LBS) ,and I would love to have a B.J. Raji on this team.

I think he would be a steady if not spectacular nose in the 3-4 but I have him in second round but before Texans pick. If he were avail in second, I'd probably take him.

[Wolf6151]

His best fit is as a 3-4 NT and he'll probably have a great Combine and be considered a solid 1st round pick. I'd be very leery of taking Taylor in the 1st round, he didn't have much college production, has character issues from when he played at Penn St., and seems to be losing weight and getting into shape only for the Combine and his NFL payday. You have to wonder if he's going to lose his newfound enthusiasm for the game after he signs that 1st round contract. I agree with Badboy, I'd grab him in the 2nd if still available.

[steelbtexan]

Taylor will go in the bottom of the 1st rd. I'm against trading up to get him.

The smarter route would be to draft Fua/Powe/Ellis in the 3rd rd. Or McClain in the 4/5th rd. They all have bust potential. (including Taylor) But a 3rd rd pick busting is alot less of a hit than a 1st rd bust. (See Travis Johnson)

[Texan4Ever]

Taylor needs to prove to NFL teams that he is willing and able to shed some weight and be able to do more than just clog up the interior. Right now, I wouldn't consider him a first round pick, more of a mid-round pick unless he wows me (and scouts) with a great combine.

I'm looking foward to seeing how he runs the 40-Yard Dash, cone drills, and bench press. The cone drills will show us if he is nimble on his feet and can carry his weight and the bench press will tell us how strong he really is.

One thing that really stood out for me is the fact that he gets too tall quickly. Instead of using leverage and his size, he stands up and is often struggling to get off of blockers.

[bah007]

Originally Posted by Texan4Ever

Taylor needs to prove to NFL teams that he is willing and able to shed some weight and be able to do more than just clog up the interior. Right now, I wouldn't consider him a first round pick, more of a mid-round pick unless he wows me (and scouts) with a great combine.

I'm looking foward to seeing how he runs the 40-Yard Dash, cone drills, and bench press. The cone drills will show us if he is nimble on his feet and can carry his weight and the bench press will tell us how strong he really is.

One thing that really stood out for me is the fact that he gets too tall quickly. Instead of using leverage and his size, he stands up and is often struggling to get off of blockers.

The 40 yd dash and the bench press have very little to do with what he will be doing on the field. I don't care if he can do 50 reps, that doesn't mean that he has the right kind of strength to play NT. Power comes from the hips and lower body, not the upper body.

I agree about the cone drills. Really, I'm interested in the interview. That's really what the combine is all about anyway, imo.

[beerlover]

All good points. What I'm looking for is how coachable he is, meaning how quickly he adapts to something completley new. Does he seem engaged, passioate & respected by peers. Then measureables like foot work in box,explosion, strength, quickness to target/ability to shed & assortment of pass moves.

[Wolf6151]

Hypothetically lets say Taylor has a great Combine and moves up the board to be a 1st round pick, do you take him at #11 knowing that we need a NT and that the 3-4 system revolves around the NT position? Is he worth taking at #11 vs. waiting til the 2nd or 3rd round to get Fua, Ellis, or Powe?

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by Wolf6151

Hypothetically lets say Taylor has a great Combine and moves up the board to be a 1st round pick, do you take him at #11 knowing that we need a NT and that the 3-4 system revolves around the NT position? Is he worth taking at #11 vs. waiting til the 2nd or 3rd round to get Fua, Ellis, or Powe?

Texans had similar scenero 2004 & selected Dunta Robinson #10 overall. Wilfork went in the 20's to New England & as they say rest is history. But Taylor is not Wilfork so no. I would not select him 11th overall. Trade down, maybe twice, like New England & select him in the 20's. I think we could all live with that, what more could we expect Rick Smith & Co. to do?