Just to make it on the Packers’ practice squad, Malik Taylor has overcome his fair share of obstacles. The Flint, Michigan native attended Ferris State University, a small school located in Big Rapids, Michigan. He had an extremely productive career in college, but he was sidelined for the entirety of his senior season because of a hamstring injury. At the conclusion of his college career, Taylor was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. However, his time in Tampa Bay was brief and he eventually found himself in a Packers uniform.
After getting injured, going undrafted, and failing to earn an NFL roster spot as a rookie, you would think that Taylor would be satisfied with making the Packers’ practice squad.
But he isn’t. Taylor wants more. The 6-foot-3, 216-pound wide receiver wants to be better than mediocre.
“My main goal is to be a part of this team,” Taylor told Packers Wire. “I want to be a part of this team more than anything. I know this team has what it takes to make it to that last game. When training camp comes around, whenever we go back, I want to do everything I can to make this team.”
Of course, if Taylor is to make Green Bay’s 53 man roster, he knows that improvement is necessary.
“The biggest thing I can improve on is learning the playbook so I can gain trust. The coaches told me that even though I am a hell of a player, they want me to learn the playbook and go play comfortable. That is what has pretty much been on my mind this offseason,” said Taylor.
The 2020 offseason is of paramount importance for Taylor. If he is to make Green Bay’s roster, the wideout will need to show his skills and improvements on the practice field.
But for now, as the NFL navigates its way through unique challenges, Taylor will need to wait and do what he can.
“I think that we have been handling the offseason pretty well, Taylor said. “Our coaches have been really good with communicating and they are making sure we are getting the playbook, even though we are not meeting face-to-face.”
While he makes sure to study the playbook, Taylor is also focused on improving his physical condition.
“Even now during the quarantine, I am training as if it were training camp,” Taylor said.
Taylor has already jumped over multiple hurdles to make it to where he is now in the NFL. But he knows that the uphill battle is not going to stop anytime soon.
“It is very challenging,” Taylor said. “Especially me coming from D2 and not playing my senior year due to injury. I pretty much had all of the cards stacked up against me. I just have to keep my head down, do what I can do, control the controllable’s. I always told myself: once I find a team that fits me right and I get an opportunity, I am going to run with it.”
If the Packers do end up being the right team for Taylor, he will need to prove his worth by performing at a high level. The former Ferris State star believes that his talent and desire to be great separates himself from the rest.
“One thing I always thought separated me is just how addicted I am. I wake up and it is all I think about – just getting one percent better each day. There are things I want in life, and I know what it takes to get there. It takes hard work,” Taylor said.
In the NFL, careers are made by players who are able to perform at the right moment. Careers can also be destroyed by players who make mistakes at the biggest junctures. Taylor knows this. He is doing everything in his power to stay ready for the opportunity to display his talents.
“Pretty much what I have to do is stay in the playbook, keep my body right, eat right. And when that opportunity comes – which I know it always does – I just gotta step up and make that play. My saying is always: ‘stay prepared so you don’t have to get prepared.’ That is something I try to live by.”
Now, Malik Taylor will see if all of his preparation and hard work will pay off.
After overcoming multiple obstacles, Taylor will take on his biggest challenge to date and attempt to earn a spot on Green Bay’s 53 man roster.
He is well aware of the challenge that stands in front of him. But Taylor isn’t intimidated by obstacles with a small success rate. He is motivated by them.
Being a professional football player “means everything” to Taylor.
“This is pretty much what my life is. This is what I have always wanted to be,” he said.
No matter how many obstacles stand in his way, Taylor knows that with dedication and hard work, he can conquer them all. He is committed to continuing his childhood dream of playing in the NFL.