Two Players Who Will Be Over-Drafted Come April
As I continue to read mock drafts and reports of pre-draft workouts, two names that keep popping up as potential first round players are Baylor DT Phil Taylor and Texas CB/S Aaron Williams. Both Taylor and Williams have excellent physical skills, but both are very raw in terms of their overall development on the field. However, this is the time of year when scouts and analysts fall in love with a guy off the field, and Taylor has had an excellent offseason along with Williams.
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Taylor turned in an impressive performance at the Senior Bowl practices, where he displayed great quickness for his gigantic frame. However, let’s keep in mind that prior to the Senior Bowl, I personally had Taylor rated as a 4th round prospect at best, and that was based on his collegiate production. Taylor has never been elite in terms of his production, and has drawn various negative remarks for his character including being dismissed from Penn State’s program early on in his career.
The bottom line is, Taylor’s value is being completely overblown because he has excellent size, and with a lack of true nose tackle prospects in this draft, he stands out among the rest. People keep talking about him as a fit to the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round, but I don’t buy that, even though the Chiefs have shown substantial interest in Taylor. Scott Pioli is a smart general manager. He knows that Taylor will be a reach in the first round, much like Tyson Jackson was in 2009. Not coincidentally, Jackson has struggled to live up to the hype of being a top three pick.
With Taylor, you’re getting a guy with serious size, strength, athleticism, and all of the above. However, you’re also getting a guy who didn’t commit to a healthy nutrition regiment until his senior season, and a guy who has some big red flags next to his name. I don’t think I would take him with a first round pick, but that doesn’t mean some team will not do it. It only takes one.
As for Williams, I think his versatility is being overblown. In regards to him, we’re talking about a guy that was so raw, he wasn’t even a starter at Texas until someone was injured and he was forced into the starting lineup. No one will doubt that he has the physical gifts to be a great NFL player, but right now, he is more style than substance. He is an extremely raw prospect, and I probably wouldn’t touch him until the third round. Not to mention, some scouts don’t even know what position he will be. Is he a free safety? Is he a corner?
Williams’ technique is very raw, and his constant late reactions caused him to get burned all the time. He has been discussed as a potential first round pick, and a near lock for the second round. However, I’m not even sure he is the best cornerback prospect from Texas coming out this year. I think Williams is a guy who people are mocking way too high right now, and like I said, it only takes one team to take that kind of a chance on a guy.