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Saturday, February 9, 2019

2019 NFL Draft prospect profile: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida

Taylor is a big, strong, right tackle with great feet. Could he be a Giant?

The 2019 offensive tackle class is shaping up to be a very good one. And as people get the chance to really dig in to the tape from the 2019 college football season, more players are rising up draft boards.

One of the biggest risers is right tackle Jawaan Taylor, right tackle for the Florida Gators. Before his junior season, Taylor was considered an intriguing physical prospect with some glaring holes in his game. Like several other intriguing Florida prospects, the 2018 season saw Taylor address those holes and has gone from a player who was generally thought of as being valuable for his physical tools has become a legitimate starting candidate and is rocketing up draft boards.

The New York Giants need to find an upgrade at right tackle, and Taylor has all of the physical tools that Dave Gettleman prizes in offensive linemen. The question is if the Giants don’t address the position in free agency, would they be able to land Taylor in the draft?

Measurables

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 335 pounds

Pros

  • Massive frame, but carries his weight well.
  • Remarkably quick and fluid feet.
  • Impressive power at the point of attack.
  • Able to recover when beaten by speed.
  • People mover when he drives with leverage.
  • Likes to bully defenders and finish reps with them on the ground.

Cons

  • Needs to be more aggressive with his hands.
  • Knee bend and hip level are inconsistent.

Prospect Video

What They’re Saying

Jawaan Taylor is an impressive prospect: his mobility, length and functional power have the makings of a franchise offensive tackle. Taylor offers positional diversity, but his work in combo blocks, climbing to the second level and ability to reset the LOS make him a very attractive target in a gap/power system. Taylor has good hip hinge in his hips to play with grace in his pass sets and if he’s able to clean up his hands, Taylor has an extremely high ceiling as a starter.

- Kyle Crabbs (The Draft Network - Scouting Report)

Does He Fit The Giants?

Yes. Yes, it’s safe to say that a big, powerful, and long right tackle fits the New York Giants.

There are precious few areas of concern with Jawaan Taylor, and most of them are with his ability to play with consistent technique. Even with his inefficient hand usage, tending to bring them a low, wide, and late, and inconsistent knee bend, leading to high hips, Taylor is an impressive tackle. At times he moves far more quickly and fluidly than a player listed at 335 pounds has any right to.

He is limited by a tendency to keep his hands low and wide, rather than striking with his punch and controlling the defender’s chest plate. Likewise, he sometimes lets his legs straighten and hips rise. The two issues together limit how much of his natural power he is able to bring to bear on defenders. He has plenty of power to battle college defenders who try to match his strength or recover and usher speed rushers around the pocket. That being said, if he takes to NFL coaching and can overcome those limitations -- which he has flashed the ability to do at the collegiate level, just not consistently -- he could be a true terror of a blocker.

Perhaps the only real questions are whether he slips out of the first round, and whether or not the Giants are able to find an upgrade at right tackle in free agency.



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