As the pre-draft process heats up each year, opportunities for players flying under the radar annually present themselves. Following a productive collegiate career at Memphis (2,379 receiving yards in four seasons), Roc Taylor’s player profile has begun to draw attention from NFL evaluators.
Predraft showcase circuit is underway & a name generating some buzz at Hula this week — Memphis WR Roc Taylor.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 7, 2025
The 6’3” wideout has met with a long list of teams including the Commanders, Broncos, Colts, Cowboys, Chargers, Panthers, 49ers, Jaguars, Giants, Dolphins and Bears.…
Kicking off the showcase circuit over the next month or so, the Hula Bowl, staged in Orlando, Florida, provides an excellent stage for under-the-radar players to compete in front of scouts. For Taylor, and those in attendance, it’s an opportunity to showcase their talent against high-level competition in a neutral environment, similar to how players would approach an NFL camp where everything and everyone around them is new.
At 6-foot-3, Taylor looks the part before ever runs a route or attacks a 50/50 ball inside the red zone. And thus far at Hula, he’s displayed the kind of physicality and nuance that NFL teams covet at the position. His ability to create separation against smaller defensive backs has remained on display, and the ability to snatch passes out of the air at a variety of angles has been a welcomed sight.
For Taylor, an Oxford, Alabama native, his rise shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who followed his collegiate career. In his senior season at Memphis this fall, he recorded 67 receptions for 954 yards, establishing himself as the team’s top offensive weapon despite limited trips (2) to paydirt.
What sets Taylor apart is his blend of physical tools and technical refinement. And yearly, it seems like Memphis has a player or two that the program produces, no matter how successful – or not – the campaign was that year. Tony Pollard, Antonio Gibson, Kenneth Gainwell, Calvin Austin, Dylan Parham… the NFL names go on and on from the Tigers’ de facto NFL pipeline.
At 215 pounds, Taylor has the frame to hold up against NFL-caliber press coverage. While not elite at this point in time, his separation ability has shown significant improvement as the last few years have progressed, particularly in his ability to sink his hips and accelerate out of breaks as a larger athlete.
Scouts have been particularly intrigued by Taylor’s upside as a boundary receiver. His ability to win one-on-one matchups, combined with his physicality, makes him an ideal target in jump-ball and back-shoulder situations, something that could get him on the field early in his career. Clubs in need of a reliable possession receiver with red-zone prowess are expected to prioritize Taylor as we get into the meat of the draft next April.
Taylor’s performance at the Hula Bowl has been nice to see, but it looks to be only the start of a prosperous cycle for the former Tiger who is looking to become just the second wideout drafted from Memphis since 2018.
