The 2020 NFL Draft is in the books and the Cleveland Browns have received positive grades from practically every media outlet, but the off-season is not quite done yet and new rookies have been coming in as undrafted free agents. Among the first players noted after the draft was over was former Senior Bowl standout, Alex Taylor. He was one of the bigger UDFA fishes both figuratively and literally considering he was viewed as an early-round prospect by many outlets.
Name: Alex Taylor
Position: Offensive Tackle
School: South Carolina St.
Height: 6-8
Weight: 308 pounds
11 1/4 hands ‼️
When Alex Taylor puts his hand on the ground he’s palming the Earth https://t.co/xgBnHJSjgo
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) February 25, 2020
Strengths: It is completely shocking that Taylor went undrafted especially after measuring in as the biggest player at the Senior Bowl and one of the biggest at the combine at 6’8″ and also was in the top echelon in wingspan at 88 inches and hand size at 11 inches. To go along with his freaky long limbs, Taylor has a great frame that has the potential to add even more weight before any athleticism is sacrificed.
As if his size wasn’t tantalizing enough, Taylor also has a ton of room to grow on the field as well considering he only started playing football since his junior year in high school and after transferring from Appalachian State, basketball became his focus again during his first year. Taylor leaves the Bulldog program with 23 starts under his belt and two straight seasons of earning first-team All-MEAC.
Here’s what an 88-inch wingspan looks like against a speed rush. That’s normally the reach equivalent of someone 7’4”. Length matters in football. @SCState_Fb OL Alex Taylor has it.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/F7817OAOJm
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) January 29, 2020
Weaknesses: Taylor went undrafted for a reason. Despite checking a ton of boxes scouts look for, it is important to treat his rawness as both a positive and negative. This is a prospect that may take a few years to develop into an adequate contributor. That projection is based on film where he is playing inferior opponents each week. We also mentioned Taylor’s basketball features including his freaky long limbs, but those limbs are characteristic of basketball players in another way as well as they are not even close to the tree trunk like pythons most NFL tackles need to deliver a powerful punch to defenders.
Overall: Taylor is a phenomenal UDFA pickup and is one of the few players that didn’t get selected that might actually grow into an impact player. His obvious size and athleticism give him a starter-level ceiling, but there are a ton of issues that need to be sorted for him to even make this roster.
Most Browns fans will remember former Florida State standout and 2017 fifth-round selection, Roderick Johnson and Taylor has been compared frequently to him due to their similar body types and playing style. This comparison is fair and Johnson was honestly better coming out of college, but he was obliviously a non-factor for Cleveland and is now with the Houston Texans.
I do think it is reasonable to expect a higher ceiling on Taylor and my money would be on him making this roster whether it be active or practice squad, but he needs to get better quickly to stay.
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