Darrell Taylor thread | the next Frank Clark? #Seahawks

Edge speed
Cross chop
Sharp corner
Strip sack

*Record scratch*

Whoa, Whoa, WHOA! Hold up a sec before we even get started here. Is that Taylor or did Frank finesse his way into Volunteer orange & white?

OK real talk. The successful development of NFL edge rushers depends so much on athletic ability, and like Clark, Taylor is a cascading fountain of scintillating traits…

(#19, aligned outside the RT as the Vols’ left DE/OLB in most clips to follow)

Chiseled 6’4, 267-lb frame
+ speed, strength & agility
Imposing all-around athlete

Taylor uses those gifts to explode out of a 4-point stance and convert speed to power, or bend the edge with ample flexibility:

He battled a fibular stress fracture the entire 2019 season and still lit up the SEC, finishing top-3 among edge rushers in each pass rushing stat:

8.5 sacks
44 total pressures
87.5 PFF grade
19.0% PR win rate
17% SIS pressure rate

A close look at Taylor’s long arm + wrist grab, currently his best complement to the speed-dip-flatten arc rush:

1) Explosive 1st steps
2) Sudden inside stab
3) Outside wrist grab
4) Step thru & leannnn
5) Hip turn + swipe to discard
6) Chase & finish

Taylor has a knack for finishing, an underrated art because converting pressure into sacks is often random. He attacks under control with balance trough contact and twitch in space, whilst hunting the ball (6 career forced fumbles):

And as a bonus, he looks surprisingly comfortable dropping into coverage for a 267-lb edge rusher:

In the run game, Taylor was a strong stack & set force defender in TENN’s scheme, with a similar role coming at LEO in Seattle.

And he appears capable of doing more to impact the other side of the LOS when the role calls for it:

Often lands a firm & accurate first punch. Locks out + digs in with a stable base to maintain consistent leverage. Zero trouble standing up SEC blockers:

If we’re nitpicking, Taylor has room to improve his awareness processing backfield action, hand usage vs double teams, and general urgency getting off blocks:

Another mild concern: Taylor almost exclusively rushed from the left side against right tackles for the Vols.

Yet he flashed brilliance when given opportunities to attack the blindside. Here vs an LT drafted in R3:

There were 3 key pre-draft concerns curbing Taylor’s public draft stock. Seattle being the team to pick him alleviates 2 of them (medical + character)

The big question: To what degree will he continue developing still-raw pass rush skills as a slightly over-aged (23) prospect?

Inconsistent get-off, hands & rush instincts. He’ll land first punch only to stall out, or miss counter windows when forcing OTs to open up. Rarely see a successful inside counter. Tries to spin/swim a few times a game but struggles to sell the outside fake:

Without a real go-to move, special rush instincts or any truly elite traits, where does Taylor hang his hat early on?

And how much will his game continue to grow? The history of 23+ year-old edge rushers drafted on day-2 ain’t exactly glowing (h/t @zjwhitman):

Which brings us full circle. Taylor’s physical profile is working in his favor, as he’s a superior athlete to almost every peer on that list. And athleticism remains arguably the most important indicator of success for drafted NFL Edge prospects

It’s tantalizing how similar he is to Clark the prospect. They shared several strengths (AA, dual speed-power threats) & weaknesses (PR nuance & instincts).

Taylor didn’t test at the Combine, but I bet he could have bested plus athletes like Rasheem Green & Alton Robinson:

What separates Clark is his truly freakish athletic profile, with traits ranging from great-to-elite.

Taylor lacks the same length, power & world class get-off, yet even a Clark-lite can wreak havoc in the NFL. Taylor's got the goods to follow in his footsteps at LEO for Seattle