When the New Orleans Saints selected Alontae Taylor in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, it didn’t seem like the consensus knew why. The reaction centered on need-based philosophy, previously traded draft capital, and his later-round projection by analysts. Frankly, it felt like classic fear of the unknown. Quite odd for a player who was the first freshman to start the season opener at defensive back for Tennessee since 2013. One in the SEC with consistent competition against receivers like Jerry Jeudy and Devonta Smith.
A team doesn’t select a player No. 49 overall with no picks until Round 5 without a vision. But it certainly wasn’t the unceremonious entry Taylor had into the league. When Marshon Lattimore was ejected in Week 2 against the Buccaneers, Taylor made his debut cold off the bench. He had yet to play a snap of NFL football. Tom Brady targeted him twice, and he broke up both passes. In limited game action, Taylor’s calm stillness shone through.
Following a trip to injured reserve, Taylor was thrust back into action when both starting cornerbacks were out against the Cardinals. He wasn’t on the active roster until gameday. He lined up opposite Bradley Roby until Roby was carted off in the first quarter. Taylor’s first NFL assignment was locking down DeAndre Hopkins. Out of five targets in coverage, Taylor allowed just one.
Most rookies in that scenario panic. It’s easy to start second-guessing, struggling with the speed of the game in the pros, and get grabby. That’s assuming the only factor was guarding Hopkins. As the secondary dropped like flies in-game, Taylor only grew more steadfast. With a starting counterpart in Paulson Adebo, his next test was Davante Adams against the Raiders. Adams had one catch on five targets. But what stood out were his press coverage skills and patient feet. It’s incredibly rare to completely disrupt the timing of a receiver like Adams. I reached out to Taylor’s longtime trainer I’d spoken to this offseason, Lorenzo “Zo” Spikes, to see how they’d worked on that trait.