Tag: Alex Taylor

Browns practice squad protection and elevation tracker

Tracking who has been protected week by week and also the practice squad elevations for game days

The Browns have protected the same four players on the practice squad for Week 14 as they did in Week 13. And Week 12.

So rather than just regurgitate the protection status for the third week in a row, I thought we’d go back and look at how the Browns have used the protected practice squad status this year. The practice squad elevations for game day are also tracked here. Each player can be elevated from the practice squad to the active gameday roster twice, though players elevated as designated COVID-19 replacements can be used more than just twice.

Week 1

Protected

  • QB Garrett Gilbert
  • S Jovante Moffatt
  • PK Cody Parkey
  • OT Greg Senat

Elevated – CB Robert Jackson

Week 2

Protected

  • QB Garrett Gilbert
  • OT Greg Senat

Elevated – LB Montrel Meander

Week 3 

Protected

  • QB Garrett Gilbert
  • OT Greg Senat
  • RB Dontrell Hilliard
  • PK Matt McCrane

Elevated – CB A.J. Green

Week 4

Protected

  • Garrett Gilbert
  • Greg Senat
  • Matt McCrane
  • DL Joey Ivie

Week 5

The Cowboys signed Senat in the period before he could be protected this week.

Protected

  • Garrett Gilbert
  • Matt McCrane
  • Joey Ivie

Elevated – Joey Ivie

Week 6

The Cowboys struck again, signing Gilbert away in the period before players could be protected.

Protected

  • S Elijah Benton
  • DT Joey Ivie
  • RB John Kelly
  • PK Matt McCrane

Elevated – Elijah Benton

Week 7

There was no record of the Browns protecting any players in Week 7

Week 8

Protected

  • RB John Kelly
  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • DE Cameron Malveaux
  • PK Matthew McCrane

Week 9

Protected

  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • DE Cameron Malveaux
  • PK Matt McCrane
  • OT Alex Taylor

Elevated – OT Michael Dunn

Week 11

Protected

  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • DE Cameron Malveaux
  • PK Matt McCrane
  • OT Alex Taylor

Elevated as COVID-19 replacements – Dunn and Malveaux

Elevated – FB Johnny Stanton

Week 12

Protected

  • OT Michael Dunn
  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • PK Matt McCrane
  • OT Alex Taylor

Elevated as COVID-19 replacement – Dunn, Ivie, Malveaux

Week 13 

Protected

  • OT Michael Dunn
  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • PK Matt McCrane
  • OT Alex Taylor

Elevated – WR Ja’Marcus Bradley

Week 14

Protected

  • OT Michael Dunn
  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • PK Matt McCrane
  • OT Alex Taylor

 

 

 

Browns sign rookie OT Alex Taylor back to the practice squad

Taylor comes back after being waived off I.R. in September

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The Cleveland Browns welcomed back a familiar face to the team’s practice squad on Monday. The Browns signed offensive tackle to the practice squad after working him out late last week.

Taylor is an undrafted rookie from South Carolina State who was originally signed right after the draft by the Browns. He was one of the team’s more celebrated UDFAs, but he suffered an injury in training camp. Taylor was waived off injured reserve in September.

With Taylor’s return, the Browns now have a full 16-member practice squad. He joins Timon Parris as developmental offensive tackle prospects on the reserve group.

 

 

Browns bring OT Alex Taylor back for a visit

Taylor was waived from the Browns injured reserve in September

There was a familiar face in Berea on Wednesday making a visit with the Cleveland Browns. Offensive tackle Alex Taylor was back and meeting with the team, per the NFL’s transaction wire.

Taylor has been a free agent since the Browns parted ways with him earlier this season.

Perhaps the most prominent of the Browns’ undrafted rookie class of 2020, the South Carolina State standout offers outstanding length and the movement skills of a former college basketball player. Taylor had issues with functional strength for playing in the NFL and was considered a more long-term developmental prospect.

He was waived off injured reserve on the day of Week 2 game with this week’s foe, the Cincinnati Bengals. Taylor has been free to sign with any other team but has yet to latch on. The Browns do have an opening for a project OT on the practice squad after the Dallas Cowboys signed away Greg Senat recently.

Browns waive undrafted rookie OT Alex Taylor from injured reserve

Taylor was waived with injury designation during Browns training camp

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Back when he signed with the Cleveland Browns following the 2020 NFL Draft, offensive tackle Alex Taylor was touted by many as one of the best undrafted free agent acquisitions around the league.

The long (6-foot-9) tackle with the spindly arms from South Carolina State performed capably enough during Senior Bowl week to generate some buzz, but the infatuation faded once the NFL finally put on pads. At just 294 pounds, his lack of strength and experience against most physical defenders was a real problem. Taylor got injured early in Browns training camp and wound up being waived with an injury designation.

Now Taylor has taken an injury settlement from the club. He is free to sign with any other team and the Browns will receive no compensation in return.

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Alex Taylor: What the Browns are getting in the UDFA offensive tackle

Alex Taylor: What the Browns are getting in the UDFA offensive tackle

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

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.

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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Browns announce their 2020 UDFA class with 15 new players

Browns announce their 2020 UDFA class with 15 new players

The Cleveland Browns have agreed to terms with 15 rookie free agents who went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft in April.

Most of the names had previously been linked to the Browns, but none of the UDFA deals were officially confirmed by the team until Tuesday’s press release. That includes Oklahoma State CB A.J. Green, who received a hefty signing bonus to join the Browns.

 

Name Position College
Solomon Ajayi LB Liberty
Elijah Benton S Liberty
Ja’Marcus Bradley WR Louisiana
Tony Brown WR Colorado
Kevin Davidson QB Princeton
Drake Dorbeck T Southern Mississippi
A.J. Green CB Oklahoma State
Brian Herrien RB Georgia
Jameson Houston CB Baylor
Ben LeMay RB Charlotte
Jovante Moffatt S Middle Tennessee State
George Obinna DE Sacramento State
Alex Taylor T South Carolina State
Jeffery Whatley DE South Alabama
Nate Wieting TE Iowa

This group joins the six players drafted by the Browns to make up the rookie class of 2020 in Cleveland.

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Browns UDFA Alex Taylor worth watching as a developmental OT

Browns UDFA Alex Taylor worth watching as a developmental OT with a lot of potential but some much-needed work to be done

One of the most interesting undrafted rookie signings following the 2020 NFL Draft is the Browns agreeing to terms with South Carolina State offensive tackle Alex Taylor. Per his agent, Taylor quickly signed with the Browns after Saturday’s final round ended.

Taylor will be easy to spot in Berea. He’s the 6-foot-9 guy with incredibly long arms (36-plus inches) and giant hands (11 inches).

The Browns are taking a chance on the former basketball standout from the FCS level, hoping that he can continue to grow as a football player. Based on the film I watched and then seeing Taylor in person at the Senior Bowl practices, there is a lot of growth needed before Taylor can sniff the 53-man roster. He’s woefully underpowered and inexperienced as a tackle, playing too methodical and upright.

Taylor does have nimble feet and the arm length is spectacular when he fires it out quickly. He moves cleanly and hits his reach blocks well outside the formation, a critical component of coach Kevin Stefanki’s zone blocking system. But at 308 pounds, he sorely lacks core and lower-body strength, an issue exacerbated by his upright gait; he’s not a natural, instinctive knee-bender.

Expect Taylor to spend a year on the practice squad and hopefully get stronger and more experienced in a de facto redshirt NFL season.

8 small-school prospects for the Eagles to consider in the 2020 NFL Draft

8 small-school prospects that could interest the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles are no strangers to targeting small school players in the NFL draft and the results have been positive recently.

The Eagles used the 2016 Senior Bowl to analyze Carson Wentz and the results have been fairly positive since Howie Roseman used the No. 2 pick on the former North Dakota State star.

There have been plenty of small-school gems drafted over the years and with the Eagles in need of some retooling, here are 8 sleeper prospects who could interest the Birds.

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1.Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty

The 6-4, 215-pound stud put on a show in Mobile at the Senior Bowl and firmly put himself on the map as a player in the NFL draft.

Gandy-Golden has all the tools and 4.5 40-yard times that could catapult him up, draft boards.
Last season, Gandy-Golden racked up 79 catches for 1,396 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He excels at boxing out defenders and catching the ball at its highest point.

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An offensive tackle for Chargers in every round of 2020 NFL Draft

This year’s offensive tackle class is very deep.

Aside from the quarterback position, the offensive tackle spot sits near the top in regards to positional groups that need to be addressed in the upcoming draft for the Chargers.

Luckily, this year’s crop has starting caliber talent from the first day of the draft all the way until Day 3.

With that being said, here’s a tackle from each round that could fit in Los Angeles:

Round 1 | Mekhi Becton, Louisville

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Becton, the towering 6-foot-7 and 364 pounder was a three-year starter at left tackle for the Cardinals. In 2019, he earned first-team All-ACC honors and the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for his dominance in the trenches.

Becton has a rare combination of size and athleticism that doesn’t come around that often in every draft. He has the movement skills and length to keep defenders at bay and the immense power to create a surge in the running game, along with the ability to get out into space with ease.

Becton would easily be a plug-and-play left tackle for the Chargers.

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Colts add high-upside prospects in Sporting News mock draft

Who did the Colts take in Sporting news latest mock?

The 2020 NFL draft is less than two weeks away and while it will be a different format than we’ve ever seen before, the biggest event of the offseason is going to arrive.

The Colts have seven selections in the upcoming draft, all of which are in Rounds 2–6. Trades are a part of their draft plan and are almost a guarantee for Chris Ballard whether he’s looking to move up to grab a player or move back and add a later pick.

Sporting News ran a seven-round mock draft on Friday. Here’s what the haul looked like for the Colts:

Day 2: Rounds 2–3

No. 34: WR Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
No. 44: TE Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
No. 75: QB Jacob Eason, Washington

After making some big moves to the defensive side of the ball during free agency, the Colts went and added some playmakers to the other side in this mock draft. Aiyuk should be an exciting prospect for the Colts given what he can do vertically and after the catch. However, there are concerns about his ability to beat press coverage on the boundary, which means he’d likely be relegated to the slot.

Kmet is one of the top tight ends in the draft and would be a fantastic addition to a room that needs a future. His blocking needs development, but he’d be a nice fit in the scheme for Frank Reich.

Eason is a volatile prospect with a high ceiling given his arm talent. His footwork and decision-making have to improve but there would likely be more optimism given that he would sit at least a year behind Philip Rivers.

Day 3: Rounds 4–6

No. 122: OT Alex Taylor, South Carolina State
No. 160: EDGE Alex Highsmith, Charlotte
No. 193: LB Jason Strnad, Wake Forest
No. 197: WR James Proche, SMU

All developmental players on Day 3 for the Colts here. Taylor is intriguing as a prospect given his size (6’8″ – 308) and length (36.125″). He’s a mauler on the edge with a mean streak in the run game but needs to refine his technique with his pass protection.

Highsmith would be a solid addition in the fifth round. He’s explosive off the edge and would fit nicely in the one-gap front for the Colts. Have him develop behind Justin Houston, Kemoko Turay and Ben Banogu.

Strnad is an intriguing linebacker prospect for the Colts and fits the bill of being a rangy playmaker in the middle of the field. He’d slide as a WILL behind Darius Leonard but has some intriguing traits to fill in as a depth piece.

Proche is a contested-catch receiver with strong tracking skills and the ability to challenge on 50/50 balls. But his lack of refinement as a route runner could keep him lower on the depth chart while working on special teams.