Cleveland Browns: 2020 NFL Draft late-round targets

Coming out of high school, Levonta Taylor was a five-star cover corner who was heading to Florida State. However, after suffering a back injury in 2018, Taylor has struggled to battle through and show the production that would live up to his potential and his expectations.

Lacking the hip mobility and agility to turn and run with outside receivers, Taylor settled in as a safety in the FSU defense while recovering, allowing him to learn a variety of roles in the secondary.

Now fully recovered and looking to prove that he still has the physical tools and potential that many expected him to display at the college level, Taylor is hoping for a chance to get drafted by an NFL team.

That feat seems to be an increasingly uphill battle for Taylor, who is seeing his opportunities to prove himself dwindle every day. First, Taylor was not invited to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, where many senior players are able to talk to and practice and play in front of scouts from all 32 teams.

The next chance to do that? The 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Combine. But Taylor was not invited the combine either.

Okay, but he’ll at least have the Florida State pro day… right? Wrong! Says COVID-19. So Taylor had to resort to filming his own mini pro day which, of course, apparently nearly got shut down by police.

So it looks like a team will really just have to take a chance on Taylor being completely healthy and being at least a sliver of what he was expected to be coming out of high school. But I think Taylor showed enough at Florida State to be worth that shot, especially if it only costs a seventh-round pick.

Taylor’s versatility could come in handy for the Cleveland Browns. Rotating in at safety or more of a slot corner, Taylor could see the field on nickel and dime sets, allowing him to prove himself right away. And with free-agent signings at both corner and safety, there wouldn’t be any pressure for the team to rely on him as an “unproven” commodity right away.