Davion Taylor Update

Jalen Reagor is the most important rookie. The team needs him to be able to step in and contribute right away. Not start and dominate, but they need him to help the offense.

Jalen Hurts is the most notable rookie. He was a major surprise of a pick. He’s a star QB and huge name. Everything Hurts does or says will be analyzed more than the Zapruder film.

The most fascinating rookie for me is LB Davion Taylor. He went a bit earlier than some expected. I actually had him going about where the Eagles took him.

Taylor does not have a traditional background. Because of his family’s religion, he didn’t play high school football. He went to a junior college and played. He then went to Colorado and became a star. Well actually, the Star LB. That’s a role where the LB plays in the slot and out in space. He is as raw as Les Bowen is old.

Too harsh?

Taylor is an explosive athlete and he is a physical player. This isn’t a track guy who just runs around at 100 mph and gets lucky. While he doesn’t have an extensive football background, his play shows you he is either a quick learner or he’s instinctive. Both traits help his NFL chances.

Fran Duffy did another one of his excellent Film Room pieces.

I’m impressed by Taylor’s versatility and the discipline he shows. A lot of athletic LBs rely on speed to do everything. Fran shows you that Taylor understands gap discipline and the importance of positioning. If his job is to stay outside and force plays inside, he does that.

Taylor plays with good leverage. He uses his hands well. He’s not shy about taking on blockers. There is a lot to be excited about.

There are concerns as well. He’ll need to keep getting bigger and stronger. College football is played by young men. The NFL is a man’s game. Very different worlds. And while the pro game has become more spread out than ever, Taylor will have to learn how to play in traffic. He did very little of that at CU.

If you want to hear from Taylor himself, Mike Kaye did an interview with him recently.

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Interesting note from Dave Spadaro.

Let’s begin with the virtual offseason backward, so we’ll begin in the past. The Eagles named the “winners” of the offseason program, broken up in positional categories. They are: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Rob Davis, competing in the position groups including wide receivers, defensive backs, and running backs. Among the defensive linemen, the winners were Bruce Hector and Genard Avery. Among the offensive linemen, tackle Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce took the honors, and in the Big Skill group comprised of quarterbacks, linebackers, tight ends, and specialists, linebacker Alex Singleton and tight end Zach Ertz were the winners. So, there’s that.

JJAW is headed to the Pro Bowl!!!

Joking aside, that is a good sign. JJAW had a brutal rookie season. You want him to react to that the right way. It sounds like he’s headed in the right direction. That’s definitely encouraging.

Good for Rob Davis. I think he’s been totally overlooked. If he plays his butt off and deserves a spot, the Eagles will find a way to keep him. The key here is that he could have seen all the new resources at WR and gotten down on himself. Instead, he worked harder than ever and is fighting for a job. That is the attitude you want in a fringe player.

The other name that jumped out is Genard Avery. The Eagles spent a 4th round pick in the trade for him. They need Avery to be a contributor this year. He is a gifted athlete so he should shine in offseason workouts.

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