Devin Taylor Scouting Report

Taylor came out of almost nowhere for a huge sophomore season at South Carolina in 2010. The hulking defensive end redshirted in 2008, backed up a host of talented Gamecock defenders in 2009, then broke onto the scene one year later. Taylor had seven sacks (second on the team) and made a team-leading 13 tackles for loss. He was named a First Team All-SEC performer by the Associated Press and was named to the All-SEC Second Team by the conference's coaches. Taylor has been seeing a lot more attention from offensive linemen this season and his stats are down as a junior -- three tackles for loss and two sacks through seven games (although he does lead the team with five quarterback hurries).

NFL scouts are not so much worried about the numbers (because they know what Taylor can do) and they love his upside. The Beaufort, SC native stands at 6'6'' and weighs in at 260 pounds. He has been clocked as fast as 4.68 in the 40-yard dash, so to say this guy is a physical specimen would be an understatement. Taylor would do well to add a little bit more bulk to his tall frame, because while he can often manhandle college offensive linemen, that may not be the case in the NFL. If not, he will have to improve his around-the-end speed. Despite lackluster stats, Taylor should still be a first-round selection (assuming he leaves early for the 2012 draft) and he could be one of the first few DEs off the board.