Senior Bowl Spotlight – Taylor Hart, DT Oregon – 2014 NFL Draft
Alex Dunlap, RosterWatch.com

Taylor Hart, DT Oregon

Height: 6’6″
Weight: 290 pounds
NFL Comparison: Derek Wolfe
40 yard dash: 4.75 – 4.9 (estimated/reports)
Player Notes: Second team All-Pac 12 in 2013. Has been a three-year starter, putting quite a bit on tape versus different, formidable Pac 12 linemen who have gone on to NFL careers.

Scouting Notes:

Hart is an interior defensive line prospect who we are very interested to see in live practice action during the week of Senior Bowl game preparation in Mobile, Al.

On initial review, Hart seems to bring a scheme-versatility that probably best projects to a 4-3 system because of his one-gapping ability to bull rush from the three-technique, but at 6’6″, we could certainly see a case made for Hart being deployed in more of a traditional two-gap scheme, allowing his length to occupy more blockers en route to gap assignments.

When turning on the film, Hart is easy to recognize.

Hart moves all along the line of scrimmage, lining up in different spots – usually in a three-point stance, but sometimes standing up in a two-point stance. Most commonly, analysts will see him nestled into the frog-like squat (seen pictured above No. 66) that we have a hard time reconciling.

Hart wastes far too much motion coming out of this sub-90-degree-angle knee bend that he starts every play having to break free of, and in doing so, effectively tends to neutralize one of his best natural traits otherwise, which is a lightning-quick first step.

Our preferred style of play and stance exhibited by Hart usually comes on pass rushing downs when he is tasked with the assignment of simply pinning his ears back and coming. Hart’s motor upfield is clearly evident, as is his ability to convert a bull-rush with motor.

We call it a bull rush-motor conversion, and we view it as a pass-rush move just like any other. When a player is forcing line disruption from the inside, the rush has to convert from one act to another in different ways than outside rushes do, mostly because “speed” isn’t really involved in the equation from the inside since engagement occurs throughout the entirety of the encounter.

What interior rushers can do that is deadly, however, is get penetration into the backfield, then become advantageous with motor. We’ve seen this trait manifest itself time and time again at the NFL level. Here’s a play where Hart displays this ability.