Alontae Taylor and the importance of scouting (2 Viewers)

[Outbackjack]

Great stuff TCU.

Couldn’t agree more.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

We said that about Malcolm Jenkins and PJ Williams too

 

[TCUDan]

I wouldn't put too much into that. According to Taylor, they mentioned nickel and safety.

Maybe they did draft him for CB depth. But the guy's got the athleticism, instincts and intelligence to play anywhere on the back end. I think we'll be seeing a lot of him this season in roles other than perimeter corner.

 

[Jesse Custer]

I saw some of the things Dan's talking about in cursory film study, too. A couple plays where he recognized a play and broke off his assignment to make the tackle, or covered for another DB blowing his assignment. Kid's got good instincts and play recognition skills. Some play recognition can be taught, but his instincts can't be taught. A couple of hours later, I like the pick even though I was pulling for McBride for another offensive toy. Like I said immediately after the pick, he could play the slot to free up CJGJ to be the moneyback on the back seven.

 

[TruSaint]

Great size, insane athlete, great IQ, very physical, versatile and ball skills. Terrible pick let me tell you.

 

[whosyadaddy]

That is the beauty when it comes to Taylor he gives you depth on the entire backend. So yeah I wouldn't read into too much about that tweet about him being a "cb". If we suffer an injury at CB he is valuable, if Maye gets suspended or reaggravates that achilles, Taylor again would prove his worth and make fans say "damn glad we had this guy" at the safety position. Versatile secondary players are DA's MO, and he fits right into the mold

I love how aggressive he plays and he is definitely not afraid to lay the wood on a RB. I do see some CJGJ in him and that's never a bad thing. He is instinctive, physical, sniffs out the run play and will uncover and force the tackle, has the size and recovery speed to successfully jam on the line. Kris Richard will get the most out of him I have no doubt.

 

[FlySaint]

Slot corner, safety…to may toe, to mah toe

 

[Saint Kamara]

I just wanted to post real quick regarding this pick and offer a little perspective as a lot of people run around with their hair on fire.

In my last article, I made a point of saying that I see mock drafts as kind of pointless because we aren't in the war room (I still am not calling what I did a mock draft ). But when I was considering what I think the Saints should do in round 2, before slotting in Jalen Pitre, I actually went and looked at a few scouting reports to try and ID a CB prospect who was 1) a freak athlete and 2) had S potential. The only one I kind of landed on who I was familiar with was Kyler Gordon, but I don't think he has the football IQ/instincts to make the move.

But I really felt like, if this type of player was there--a versatile CB with all the tools to move to safety (and more athleticism than Pitre and the other S candidates available)--that was the direction the Saints would go. Pitre was the closest fit in terms of fitting that poor man's Honey Badger/CGJG mold, where he can play on top of the tree, in the box, or in that slot role.

The Saints, however, seem to have found the guy I couldn't in Alontae Taylor. I've only scanned a little bit of film on him and the athleticism and football instincts are ABSOLUTELY there. As a CB, he is a little raw/inconsistent in his technique, but he's over 6 feet, runs a 4.3, has very loose hips (something the other S prospects including Pitre lacked), is very aggressive (both on the ball and in the run game) and plays with instinct!

Dennis Allen (who I will absolutely give the benefit of the doubt on drafting DBs, given his track record these last few years) and his staff seem to have a vision for Taylor, either in that slot role of CGJG (which would mean moving CJGJ to a more traditional SS role) or as a more traditional safety. Either way, the hsyteria over this pick is a little unwarranted, because when you watch film on this guy you love him. Yes, he may not stack up with some of the other CBs in terms of being ready to hit the field day 1 b/c he gets high is backpedal and stuff like that... but the dude covers the field, plays the run and the ball like an NFL player.

I don't know if he'll be a starter right out the gate, but he'll definitely be hitting the field somewhere. Honestly, I love this pick, and THIS is exactly why scouts get paid. They have a vision for a guy every fan under the sun overlooked (including myself). It is literally their job to do more than the draft pundits and find guys like this.

If drafting Olave and Penning was an A+, I would give this pick a solid A/A-.

Ok I admit I feel a lot better about this pick.

 

[Mr. Littlejeans]

I remember hearing the same report about Malcolm Jenkins being drafted to play corner. And Andrus Peat being a Tackle.
But I'm just sayin'. I'm fine with the pick. I trust our staff to have a good eye for potential in DBs. And if like Jenkins he DOES turn out to be a good Safety, that's great too.

 

[sammymvpknight]

Makes me wonder if the Saints think they’ll lose CJGJ next year.

 

[Saint Kamara]

Makes me wonder if the Saints think they’ll lose CJGJ next year.

No way no how

 

[cant]

Makes me wonder if the Saints think they’ll lose CJGJ next year.

0% chance, he is the Symbol of this team and city now that Drew is gone

 

[sammymvpknight]

0% chance, he is the Symbol of this team and city now that Drew is gone

Good players cost money. I’m sure they wanted to keep Hendrickson, Armstead, and Williams too. Frankly, that’s the only vision that makes sense that allows the rookie to play meaningful snaps in the next few years, aside from special teams.

 

[whosyadaddy]

Makes me wonder if the Saints think they’ll lose CJGJ next year.

I am hoping we extend him before that date comes up. I don't even want to think about the suitors lining up for this guy and what he would draw on the open market. My heart tells me we will keep him in black and gold but the sooner we extend him the better imo. Too crucial to what we do on D, and he is loved and adored by the city and he returns that love

 

[cant]

Good players cost money. I’m sure they wanted to keep Hendrickson, Armstead, and Williams too. Frankly, that’s the only vision that makes sense that allows the rookie to play meaningful snaps in the next few years, aside from special teams.

I get what you are saying, but those named are not on the same level of importance to this team’s future imo. Saying Ceedee could walk is like saying we let Lattimore or Ram walk more so, then the names mentioned above.