From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Miami (FL) DL Leonard Taylor III.
#56 Leonard Taylor III/DL Miami (FL) – 6034, 303 pounds (Junior)
Combine
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Leonard Taylor III | 6034/303 | 9 | 33 7/8 | 80 5/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 5.12 | 1.76 | N/A | 7.81 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 9’1″ | 30 | N/A |
The Good
– Active hands
– Good age and size for development
– At times very explosive off the line
– Draws doubles that open opportunities for others
– Will take advantage of a free rush in the A gaps
– A disruptor who needs to do better finishing plays
The Bad
– 2023 surgery to repair the glenoid labrum in his shoulder; 2023 undisclosed injury that forced him to miss all spring practices; 2022 foot injury where he left one game early
– Drop-off in 2023 production compared to 2022
– Almost useless in stunts
– Rushes with his shoulder pretty often
Bio
– 2022 All-ACC honorable mention recognition
– In 2022 led Hurricanes with six quarterback hurries and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss
– 2022 ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week (Oct. 31)
– Five-star high school prospect by 247Sports and ESPN
– In high school was selected to the Under Armour All-America Game and U.S. Army All-American Bowl
– Born in Miami and attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Pinecrest, Fla. As a senior, he had 51 tackles, five sacks and an interception in seven games.
Tape Breakdown
Miami continually tried to use Taylor in stunts, and just about every time, he was ineffective. He would be shown up by his teammates like Jared Harrison-Hunte (#81), who was asked to do similar things. Chalk it up to a potential lack of motor or whatever you want but at the end of the day, he hasn’t proven able to do it anywhere close to a high level.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) February 4, 2024
The play below pretty clearly shows Leonard Taylor as an overall player. He initially does a great job of fighting through the traffic and essentially is at the running back in the backfield. The issue is, Taylor struggles over and over to finish plays. Players with high motors would get a hand on the back at least. Plays like this would be fine if they happened every now and then but with Taylor, they’re consistent.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) February 4, 2024
Adding on to the last play, Taylor gets passed off from Maurice Smith to Casey Roddick. Despite this, Taylor fights through and gets a pretty decent lick on the back despite tripping. I reiterate that plays like this would be fine if they happened every now and then but with Taylor, they’re consistent. So many times, I counted him not finishing plays or tripping/falling. In this case, the back picks up an extra seven yards.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) February 4, 2024
;
This play shows what Taylor is capable of off the line. Good get off and uses his active hands to chop. If this ball is held a little longer on a slower-developing play, Taylor at minimum comes away with a pressure.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) February 4, 2024
Taylor can struggle to shed blocks in both the run and pass. However, this shows the power he really does have. He engages with Maurice Smith and reads the play. Realizing he has to cross face, he throws Smith away and makes a tackle on the run.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) February 4, 2024
In this play, Taylor fights to get into the backfield and is in a pretty good position to make a play on the running quarterback. Yet, he seemingly gives up on the play after disengaging from his block. Even when he does make contact with Florida State’s Jordan Travis (No. 13), he’s seemingly going 50 percent and allows his teammate Patrick Payton (No. 11) to truly finish the play.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) February 4, 2024
Conclusion
Leonard Taylor III was a very highly recruited high school player being ranked as high as the third overall prospect in the 2021 class. Taylor chose to stay close to home with Miami over offers from Alabama, Penn State, Ohio State, and many others. He really burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 2022 but didn’t perform as well his junior year in 2023. As a prospect, he has very good building blocks when you consider age, size, and raw talent. However, Taylor lacks that refinement you want to see in a great NFL prospect. A lot of his bad plays really come down to a lack of elite effort and sometimes bad technique but nothing that can’t be coached up. His injuries have really started to pile up these last two years, which is a cause for concern.
I see Taylor as a rotational player in the NFL who can potentially develop into a starter. His burst of talent would be great for a team that’s only asking him to play roughly 40 percent of the defensive snaps as a primary 3-technique. Consider a team like Arizona to be a potential fit for Taylor. The Cardinals struggled to pressure the quarterback last year being 31st in total pressures and pressure percentage. The Cardinals also allowed the most rushing yards, tied for second in most yards per carry allowed, and were top five in most rushing touchdowns allowed. Taylor can boost that very lackluster interior of their defense when he rotates in. Arizona is a team that is playing Phil Hoskins, Roy Lopez, and Leki Fotu all around 40 percent of their defensive snaps so fitting Taylor into that kind of role should be very easy.
Projection: Late Day One/Early Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 7.3 – Rotational Player (4th Round)
Games Watched: Clemson (2023), Florida State (2023), Texas A&M (2023)
