Senior Bowl Spotlight: Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky University

Height: 5’ 11”
Weight: 198 lbs
Hands: 8 ⅞”
Arm: 32 ⅜”
Wing: 77 ¾”

40 yard dash: 4.50 (official)
NFL Comparison: Corey Coleman, Braxton Miller

Scouting Notes: Unlike several of the receivers I saw at the Senior Bowl this year, Taylor has the speed, skill and experience to transition to the NFL without a hitch. Expected to run sub 4.40 at the Combine, it is that quick twitch propulsion that you first notice about him – He was the fastest offensive player at the Senior Bowl, reaching 21.1 mph at a clip. He’s also a member of the 6th annual All-Senior Bowl Roster.

His speed helps Taylor to separate in both intermediate and deep routes with ease. Taylor played all over the field during college so his prowess on the inside as well as the outside is evident in spades on tape. He’s polished on the routes he runs, with deceptive head movements and body control that extends to tracking the ball over his shoulder with the best of ‘em. Taylor has relatively small hands, but he plucks the ball from the air and is able to come down with contested catches more often than not. And once he’s caught the ball, Taylor is unparalleled. There are players in the FBS who had more catches than Taylor last year, but none of them touched him in yards after the catch (17+ yards). As far as blocking goes, Taylor plays bigger than his size and has no problem making an impact in that area. My only question about Taylor is whether he has the moxy to step up against pro-level competition. He didn’t do much when WKU faced bigger schools like Alabama, and he didn’t make a splash during the Senior Bowl Game like he did during the week. It’s hard to bet against someone that’s broken virtually every WR record at WKU and Conference USA though.

Friend of RosterWatch Turron Davenport interviews Taywan Taylor at the Senior Bowl

Fantasy Outlook: Taylor has the makings of a fantasy superstar if he can play up to his now blossoming reputation. His small school pedigree may hurt him on draft day, but Taylor has the potential to be someone’s utility knife on the field, a knife that can turn into a sword and take the top off of the defense in one fell swoop. There’s nothing holding this young man back if he can show that he can take the heat of the big stage, so don’t sleep on this sleeper in your dynasty leagues. His landing spot will be key in identifying his exact value for these purposes, but we’d expect that he’ll be a fixture at least somewhere on the 2017 Dynasty Cheat Sheet when everything is said and done.

From the WKU Athletic Department

SCHOOL RECORDS HELD BY TAYWAN TAYLOR (9)

Career (3)
Receiving Yards – 2,504
Touchdown Receptions – 24
100-Yard Receiving Games – 9

Season (5)
Receiving Yards – 1,467 (2015)
Touchdown Receptions – 17 (2015)
Receptions – 86 (2015)
100-Yard Receiving Games – 8 (2015)
Consecutive 100-Yard Receiving Games – 3 (2015)

Game (1)
Receiving Yards – 196 (FBS era – At Indiana, 2015)