I have been an advocate of drafting Kellen Winslow, but after the report of his conduct in the article, and reading the below account of Sean Taylor, I am a convert to the "draft Taylor" club. Taylor sounds mature and is an obvious difference maker on defense. I think Winslow sounds like he would have a hard time fitting into a team first framework.
Some team will have blast with Miami's Taylor at safety
By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/foot...-scouting_x.htm
Vince Wilfork, Miami (Fla.)'s beast of a defensive tackle, didn't so much as blink when someone asked him during the NFL scouting combine to weigh in with a defining characteristic of Sean Taylor.
Miami defender Sean Taylor (26) stops Florida State's Greg Jones short of the goal line in Miami's 22-14 win in Oct. 2003.
By Phil Coale, AP
"Just look over your shoulder," Wilfork said. "If you see No. 26 ... move. Because he will blast you."
Taylor is the top-rated safety, projected as a top-10 pick, in the April 24-25 NFL draft because he's the complete package. At 6-2, 230, he's fast enough to run the 40-yard dash in the 4.5-second range, combining linebacker-like toughness with a cornerback's agility. He's also a rangy ballhawk with big-play punch. Of his school-record-tying 10 interceptions last season, Taylor returned three for touchdowns. (Related item: Draft scouting report: Safeties)
Yet, as Wilfork's reaction attests, nothing helps make a name for a safety like those intimidating, bone-jarring hits over the middle. They're the ultimate calling cards.
"I hit how I play," he says. "I just play hard, and I hit hard."
Smack a receiver enough in the open field, and eventually he will hear footsteps. As much as a sack or interception can change the flow of the game, a dizzying blow can be a demoralizing finisher.
"That's me," he says. "I'm not trying to hurt anybody, but I'm also not trying to back my game down. ... If you catch it or come across the middle or I get a chance to get a hit on you, I'm going to hit you."
Perhaps the biggest knock on Taylor, a free safety, is a concern about him putting himself at risk sometimes by attempting to make knockout blows in cases where he might make a safer, wrap-up tackle. The safety often is the last line of defense, so a mistake in the open field can mean instant points.
The way Taylor sees it, however, is that the big hit might lead to another type of big play — an interception — that also can produce instant points.
"Those are both plays that can turn the game around in many different ways," Taylor says, comparing the impact of crushing hits to interceptions. "If you hit a guy in the first quarter and there's another pass coming in the third quarter and he sees you in the middle, he's going to think about it a lot differently. He might shorten his arms a little bit, and there goes your pick. You never know. It's like a chess match."
Taylor, the Big East defensive player of the year in 2003, usually finds himself as the king of the board.
"A big difference-maker," is how Miami linebacker Jonathan Vilma puts it. "Just watch the Florida State game, the first time we played them this year."
In the Hurricanes' 22-14 victory against Florida State in October, Taylor set a Big East record with eight pass deflections and intercepted two other throws, including one returned 50 yards for a touchdown. He also sacked Chris Rix and on two other blitzes was credited with pressures. He posted eight tackles while playing the game with a right shoulder injury that required arthroscopic surgery that kept him out the next week against Temple.
Against Pittsburgh in December, Taylor often was matched in man coverage against Larry Fitzgerald — helping limit the All-America wideout to just three catches for 24 yards, an outing that snapped Fitzgerald's NCAA record for consecutive games with a touchdown at 18.
"That game cost Fitzgerald the Heisman Trophy," says Frank Coyle, who runs a draft Web site, DraftInsiders.com, and considers Taylor his top-ranked defensive player. "But it just showed what makes Taylor so special. The kid is wicked. He can match up in the slot or play on the outside. He's going to be fun to watch."
Fun is a matter of perspective. For a receiver crossing the middle, Taylor may represent a headache waiting to happen.
Draft scouting report: Safeties
• Requirements: Instincts. Range. Enough smarts to call defensive adjustments and also read offensive strategy on the run. Intimidating presence as a hitter. Solid coverage skills. The versatility to either stuff the run in eight-man fronts and, for the free safeties in particular, help out in "center field" as the last line of defense.
Quality meter
Safety crop: 6.5 (on scale of 1-10)
Projected first-rounders: 1