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All of the Falcons draft rumors over the past week have focused on cornerbacks and trading up, more or less, so I figured you could all use a break from that. Fortunately, The Falcoholic has obtained some interesting information about a prospect who hasn’t been mentioned that often, and he happens to be a player the Falcons both wouldn’t need to trade up for and doesn’t play corner.
Per a league source, Colorado linebacker Davion Taylor is drawing a lot of interest from a handful of linebacker-needy teams, and the Falcons are one of them. You need not spend a lot of time looking at his play or his athletic profile to understand why.
Taylor is extremely fast, clocking a 4.49 40 at the Combine that is also evident in his play. That speed and overall athleticism lets him keep up with almost everyone in coverage, and he’s an aggressive defender who tackles pretty well, too. His weaknesses and criticisms of his game tend to focus on the fact that he’s relatively inexperienced and his instincts aren’t necessarily always on point, the latter memorably being a knock on De’Vondre Campbell, who went on to enjoy four quality seasons as a starter for the Falcons as a fourth round pick. Taylor is definitely a fit for Atlanta.
The team might not have to rely on him as a full-time starter out of the gate, given their glowing remarks for Foye Oluokun of late. Even if that’s the case, the team currently lacks compelling depth at linebacker, and Taylor certainly does have the talent to start down the line.
The question is essentially where he’ll go. Earlier in the offseason, the popular assumption seemed to be that he’d land in the 3rd-4th round range, but some are now tabbing him in the Top 100 picks and there’s a real shot he’ll go in the 2nd round. If that’s the case, the Falcons probably can’t make a major swap up in the 1st and still have a shot at him, but if they make a small hop or stand pat at #16, Taylor’s going to be a name to watch on the draft’s second day.