Philadelphia Eagles 2020 NFL Draft: Final Grades, Analysis and Context

Grade: B-

This pick continues the trend of the Philadelphia Eagles front office prioritizing speed in the 2020 NFL Draft. Davion Taylor from Colorado had an interesting path to the NFL and actually received a fair amount of attention before the start of this year’s draft.

Taylor didn’t get to play much football in high school. The church he was raised in observed Saturdays as a day of worship, blocking him from playing football between Friday night and Saturday evening, according to an article by Bleacher Report. Since Friday night is when most high school football games are played he only got a chance to play with his high school team in one game during his senior year. He would still practice with the team, but only played basketball and did track/field in high school.

So it isn’t surprising he didn’t get a lot of recruiting attention coming out of high school. After spending two seasons at a JUCO in Mississippi, he transferred to Colorado. It was here where he first got a chance to play and make a name for himself.

Taylor immediately got a chance to shine during his junior season, earning approval for his fierce run-stopping and speed off the snap. By the end of his senior season, he had accrued 129 total tackles, 18 tackles for a loss and three fumble recoveries in two seasons, according to Sports Reference.

He started getting serious NFL attention during the Combine, where he ran a 4.49 40-yard dash time, which is considered in the top ninety-seventh percentile of football players in terms of speed. Taylor also impressed scouts during the individual exercises, putting on impressive performances for the NFL’s top decision-makers.

While this pick might be a bit of a reach, it is still a quality linebacker pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Taylor can close in on ball carriers incredibly fast, showing fantastic speed when running downhill. His tackling, while not perfect, is solid enough to bring offensive players down.

The Philadelphia Eagles needed a linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft. With this year’s scouting mantra being “speed”, Taylor checks a lot of boxes for the organization. The front office has never particularly valued the linebacker position, preferring to focus on the defensive line and pass-rush during free agency and the draft. But going into the 2020 season, the defenses top linebacker is a converted safety. They needed to bring in a talented linebacker early in the draft and a third-rounder seems about right for Roseman.

The biggest issue with drafting Taylor is the role he played in college. As the outside linebacker, his role was more congruous with a slot cornerback than a true linebacker role. The team already has several slot cornerbacks and putting Taylor is that assignment leaves the defense weak in the middle of the field.

Taylor is an incredibly explosive linebacker, who can gain top speeds off the snap. But there is far more to an NFL linebacker than speed. Factoring in his inexperience playing as a true inside the box linebacker, Taylor seems like a bit of a reach in the third round. Especially considering the number of solid linebackers still available in the draft when he was selected at 103.

Taylor brings the defense speed, something it sorely missed in the 2019 season. But if he wants to see defensive snaps this season he will need to work on his tackling and his ability to read routes. If he can improve in those areas, he can expect to see the field as a consistent starter. If not, he will be stuck on special teams and as a depth piece.