Leonard Taylor III, IDL, Miami
Size:
Height: 6’3.5”
Weight: 303 pounds
Arm Length: 33 7/8"
Hand Size: 9”
Accomplishments:
All-ACC Honorable Mention (2022) • 5-star recruit
“Leonard Taylor III could be a valuable player in a scheme that allows their defensive linemen to shoot gaps and get vertical upfield to be disruptive in both the run game and rushing the quarterback.”
Strengths:
First-step quickness
Quick hands/hand counters
Fluid athlete
Concerns:
Sustain point of attack in the run game
Deconstructing blocks
Effectively defeating double teams
Consistent effort
Film Analysis:
Leonard Taylor III is a true junior prospect who entered the draft after only three years at the University of Miami. He has played a significant amount of snaps, seeing action in more than 30 career games. Throughout his career, Taylor has earned the “disruptive” label because of his ability to penetrate offensive lines using his first-step explosiveness to be disruptive in both the run game and rushing the quarterback.
As a run defender, Taylor wins using his speed and first-step quickness. Taylor's most impactful plays come when he is aligned in a gap and is asked to get into the gap and penetrate the defense. Taylor has the ability to get into the gap and get upfield to disrupt the offensive play before the structure is able to get started. To win at the line of scrimmage, Taylor can flash quick hands to swipe the hands of offensive linemen off of him and continue to work vertically up the field. Taylor also wins on called twists and stunts where he loops into gaps. He uses his natural athleticism to turn the corner and get into vacated gaps getting into the backfield.
Taylor appears to have his biggest impact and upside as a pass rusher. At the snap, Taylor flashes a quick first step and works to get into the gaps of the offensive lineman. Once in the gap, Taylor uses his quick hands and hand counters to defeat the offensive lineman quickly and continue to the quarterback. Taylor prefers to be aligned in gaps and uses forward momentum to get penetration. He prefers a vertical up-the-field assignment and prefers to use his quickness combined with a pass rush repertoire that the foundation is utilizing his hands to quickly defeat offensive linemen.
The biggest area of improvement for Taylor is as a run defender. Taylor needs to improve his strength at the point of attack to be able to hold the line of scrimmage. Taylor often gets displaced off the line of scrimmage. Taylor needs to improve his technique of shedding blockers. Oftentimes, he will stay on blocks too long and get knocked off the line of scrimmage or he will try to spin out of a block, which results in a lack of maintaining gap integrity.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Scheme Specific Contributor
Written By: Keith Sanchez
Exposures: Texas A&M (2023), Clemson (2023), Florida State (2023)