HOF breakdown: Jason Taylor combined physique, IQ to become elite edge rusher
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."
The NFL season is right around the corner, and this year's Hall of Fame inductions will rightfully kick off the campaign.
The 2017 class is composed of Morton Anderson, Terrell Davis, Kenny Easley, Jerry Jones, Jason Taylor, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Kurt Warner. Over the next two weeks, we'll highlight the four best-known players - Warner, Tomlinson, Davis, and Taylor. This final post covers Taylor.
By the look of Taylor, even today, you would think that this physical marvel that looks like a Greek god had a pretty easy road to stardom. That wasn’t the case at all.
Taylor played a lot of wide receiver at Woodland Hills high school, an exceptional football program that has produced numerous NFL players, in Pittsburgh. But Taylor was home schooled from grades 10 through 12 and was not heavily recruited.
Taylor ended up at the University of Akron and began to fill out his long and very impressive frame that quickly became ideal for rushing the passer. Taylor thrived while at Akron and even was an important member of their basketball team, which shows off his Julius Peppers-like athletic ability. Miami selected him in the third round of the 1997 draft, with his still-slender build considered his top weakness in his transition to the pros.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Taylor continued to physically grow and mature while honing his craft in the NFL. He quickly became one of the league’s most feared pass-rushers and had a great propensity for causing fumbles as well. In many ways he is the prototype edge defender. His initial quickness is superb and he has long powerful strides to eat up ground very quickly.
His body type is ideal with long arms and powerful hands, but unlike many with his dimensions, Taylor showed no stiffness in his ability to get low, bend the edge or change directions. Displaying that athletic ability in space, Taylor intercepted eight passes in his career, although the smarter move was to have him rush the passer obviously.
He was a very good run defender as well and played the game with an excellent motor that was infectious to his teammates. Taylor’s toughness showed in playing in 233 of a possible 240 regular season games throughout his career. Taylor was also the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2007 and is considered to have a very high football IQ as well as a man of great character.
Over his outstanding 15-year career, almost all of it in Miami, Taylor racked up 139.5 sacks. In 2002, he recorded a whopping 18 sacks and got to double digits in six different seasons. From 2000 to 2007, Taylor was truly dominating. During that stretch, he had just over 100 sacks, averaging 12.5 a year during that time and was the Defensive MVP in 2006.
This guy made a ton of big plays. From 2000-2011, no one in the NFL had more sacks than Taylor, which is a testament to his skill and longevity.
In an era that is loaded with supreme players at his position, making enshrinements for edge rushers to get into the Hall of Fame very competitive, Taylor clearly belongs.