Alontae Taylor and the importance of scouting
I thought TCUDan said that when doing his research he DID NOT take a look at him prior to his write up, but only after the pick. And said kudos to the staff for doing their research and due diligence on him. Maybe I just read it wrong? 🤷🏻♂️
No, you read it exactly right. Alontae Taylor was not on my radar at all and that was kind of the point. The amount of credit due to the Saints scouting department and the importance of continuity (having DA as SP's successor keeping everything in place) was the point.
And saying "I looked at CBs who could be S tweeners" really isn't the flex that other guy thinks it is. There are always these trends in the NFL. It used to be edge rushers who were OLB/DE tweeners. The current trend is CB/S tweeners who are either 1) more athletic than pure safety prospects, 2) can play that slot corner while also giving you the size/aggression/run instincts to play first and second down in a base defense (that big nickel essentially replacing the SAM, like with CJGJ).
This was literally TCU's base defense 20 years ago, but much like the option and RPO game on offense, the adaptation lagged at the NFL level. For a number of reasons (NFL teams were still using a lot more pro style offense, with traditional fullbacks and TEs, among other things).
Point is not that I was Nostradamus, but that i briefly sought out that tweener prospect (bc these saints have been proponents of that player type for years, hence Malcolm Jenkins, CJGJ), and i didn't find him.
The scouts did. That's why they get paid. That's why continuity is important.
I don't know... Maybe I'm being clearer now. If I wanted to flex my coaching chops, I'd have prob gone in a different direction, with something new. Or done what that other guy accused me of, saying "I was gonna choose Taylor all along" when in fact he wasn't even remotely on my radar.