Phil Taylor was a great presence for Baylor for the past couple seasons on their defensive line. Although he primarily played in a 43 alignment in college, I believe he could transition to a Nose Tackle in a 34 alignment with the right focus.
He was a big winner at the Senior Bowl because he showcased that 3-4 nose tackle ability and good motor that are both so crucial for high round nose tackle prospects, and because most of thoes are overpicked, the first round is not out of the question.
Phil Taylor is a very tough inside defensive lineman who gives opposing centers and guards a fit when blocking. He has a very nasty way of rushing where he attacks blockers with his hands quickly. With his attacking style, opposing linemen can’t properly get their hands squared against him or they can’t stand him up to slow his pass rush. He seems to thrive the most when he’s used as a 2 gap rusher. He will put up a great fight with double teams. He likes to use his pure force at the snap to immediately grab the leverage under the block.
When coming up field, he is very aggressive with his movements and uses his size to bring heavy momentum into blockers. He will come hard off the snap at linemen with over/under techniques to push them off balance and get his hands on the running back or quarterback. He keeps his eyes up field as he’s pushing the pocket on trying to force the opposing QB to make a difficult throw. He runs hard every play, but he does seem to be a bit short on stamina so he could be caught off guard by fast moving offenses in hurry up situations.
Taylor is a 2 gap Nose Tackle who works best in Guard/Center engagement. He’s extremely physical on his rush when he comes up and plays like he has a chip on his shoulder on all snaps. He keeps his hands moving at all times when rushing up the field. He is very good at using over/under arm techniques, where he’ll constantly be moving his arms under and over the blocker’s arms to never give the blocker a solid chance at standing him up.
If a blocker is able to get contact on him, he’s been known to almost rip the blockers hands away while moving his body sideways to disengage the blocker and cause him to fall off balance. When it comes to Phil’s strength, he’s warranted double teams on most plays he’s in on and still been impactful. A one on one matchup against a Guard or Center will normally result in him breaking free within a couple seconds. His reaction time off the snap is so difficult for lineman to adjust to because by the time the ball is snapped, he’s already coming under a lineman into his chest. With his strength, you have to be ready at all times if you plan to contain him.
He has the initial burst when the ball is snapped which makes him such a dangerous player to block in the center. His weight could be a concern which I think teams will ask him to cut or monitor closely when transitioning to the pro level. He will need to stay as quick as possible to be successful in the NFL so if his weight becomes a problem, he can quickly lose his initial burst, his most dangerous quality.
Another concerning issue is he’s had off the field problems which teams will evaluate very closely. He had felony assault charges that were dropped which I believe hurts his draft stock to teams. He looks to be very focused this season, especially as the season progressed towards the end so it can be taken as a sign of maturity for him, which teams will hope for when evaluating him. As far as what his contributions can be for an NFL franchise, he can provide teams that lack interior depth on the defensive line with a presence and tenacity that they might be lacking.
He provides for strong inside run blocking and an aggressive nature which could catch fire with other linemen in a locker room. He has a great motor and will not give up on plays. I’ve seen him chase plays down 15 yards past the line of scrimmage which shows he’s willing to go after the play wherever it is.
Taylor could play a 43 alignment as well with little transition but with such a dominating presence of 34 alignments of most teams, and him having the intangibles that could work in a 34 scheme, I don’t believe he’ll fall any further than late in the 2nd round. I think due to his off the field concerns, teams will be hesitant to give him a first round shot without knowing he’ll be able to handle to accompanying factors of being a starter in the NFL.
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