Can Taylor live up to his father’s legacy?
Every year it seems that we’re seeing the sons of NFL greats enter the NFL draft.
This year one of those cases is LSU’s Mason Taylor, who will be attempting to step out of the shadow of one of the best pass rushers in NFL history — his father Jason Taylor.
Mason, however, won’t exactly be walking in his father’s footsteps as an edge defender hunting quarterbacks. Instead, he’ll be on the other side of the ball and trying to be his future quarterback’s best friend at tight end.
This year’s tight end class is shaping up to be a very god one, with great talent at the top as well as fantastic depth throughout. And while Mason isn’t quite at the top of the depth chart, he’s one of the tight ends just half a step behind. The New York Giants might not need a tight end, but we’ll want to take a close look at Taylor anyway.
You never know how the draft will shake out, or if you’ll be playing a guy twice a year.
Prospect: Mason Taylor (86)
Games Watched: vs. South Carolina (2024), vs. Ole Miss (2024), vs. Texas A&M (2024), vs. Alabama (2024)
Measurables
Height: 6-foot 4 7/8 inches
Weight: 250 pounds
Arm length: 32 7/8 inches
Hand size: 9 7/8 inches
Strengths
Best traits
- Versatility
- Football IQ
- Athleticism
- Route running
- Ball skills
Mason Taylor is a good-sized and remarkably versatile tight end prospect.
He has prototypical size for the position at 250 pounds and just under 6-foot-5. His size belies a silky-smooth athleticism and surprising grace in space for a bigger skill position player. Taylor has good speed, agility, quickness, and balance as an athlete, which makes him both a dangerous receiving option as well as able to line up in a huge variety of positions.
LSU used Taylor all over their offense, from the backfield as an H-back, to a traditional tight end, to the slot, and even as a wide receiver. Interestingly, he was regularly lined up out wide and used as a receiving threat down the field, not just as a blocker in space or a safety blanket for the quarterback.
Taylor is a smart, detailed route runner who ran a full route tree from wherever he lined up. He also shows a clear understanding of offensive route concepts and how he fits into them. Taylor understands how to use his size to create traffic for defenders, as well as how to use his routes as a weapon when he’s in the read progression. He wastes little energy getting into his route and does a good job of manipulating the stem to influence defenders. Likewise, he has surprisingly crisp breaks for a big receiver and is able to separate out of his breaks or settle into voids in the defense.
He has very good ball skills, doing a great job of locating the ball in the air, tracking it down the field, and making necessary adjustments. Taylor is a natural “hands” catcher who flashes late hands, and is also comfortable extending and contorting to maximize his catch radius. He’s willing to take on contact and knows how to box out defenders at the catch point.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Blocking
- Explosiveness
- Long speed
As things stand now, Taylor’s greatest weakness is his blocking. While he’s a willing blocker who understands his assignments and doesn’t shy away from contact, he simply isn’t a very good blocker at this point.
Taylor has a tendency to either hit defenders with a shoulder, which they often bounce off of, or “catch” them with his hands far outside of their framework. Not only does that limit any length advantage he might have, but it allows them into his chest plate and allows them to control him. He also has a tendency to forget to bring his feet with him when moving to block defenders, leading to lunges that are easily disregarded.
At his best, Taylor has the ability to “lose slowly” as a blocker and seal off running lanes for long enough, or buy time for his quarterback. However, that doesn’t happen with consistency or often enough.
And while Taylor is athletic, he doesn’t quite appear to have elite explosiveness or long speed. That could make it more difficult for him to pick up yards after the catch or create big plays at the NFL level.
Game Tape
(Taylor is LSU tight end wearing number 86)
Projection
Mason Taylor projects as a starting tight end at the NFL level and would likely be best in an offense that incorporates Spread and West Coast elements.
Teams would be wise to make full use of Taylor’s versatility and not just pigeonhole him as a “Y” tight end due to his frame. He should be moved around the offensive formation to exploit different matchups as well as create opportunities for his teammates.
Taylor is definitely still a work in progress as a blocker. He’s clearly willing and understands his role in blocking schemes, but his technique needs quite a bit of work at this point in his development. Teams with a more “old school” view of the tight end position could move Taylor down their draft board due to his issues with blocking. However, he has the potential to be a very good player and could be a tight end reminiscent of Travis Kelce if he lands in the right situation.
Does he fit the Giants?
Yes, however the resources might be better invested elsewhere.
Final Word: A day two value
