Player Bio
According to The Oklahoman, Jason II committed to the Cowboys in part to honor his late father, Jason Taylor, who was shot and killed when Jason II was 8 years old; the former Langston University defensive lineman was an Oklahoma State fan. After being named the state’s Class 5A Player of the Year as a senior at Carl Albert High School, Taylor played in three games (no statistics) in his redshirt season. He appeared in 13 games as a reserve in 2019 (16 tackles) and in 11 games off the bench in 2020 (12 tackles). Taylor started the final 13 games of the 2021 season, playing in all 14, to garner honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference honors (48 tackles, 6.5 for loss with 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, four pass breakups; he also blocked a field goal that preserved a win over Boise State). Taylor starred for the Cowboys as a senior, receiving first-team all-conference recognition and leading the team with 99 tackles (3.5 for loss) and six interceptions, breaking up seven other passes in 13 starts. He ranked fourth in the FBS with 80 solo tackles. — by Chad Reuter
Analysis
By Lance Zierlein NFL Analyst
Draft Projection Round 4
Overview
Taylor offers well-defined strengths and obvious areas of concern that should allow for teams to deploy him in the best manner possible if they are honest in their assessments. He boasts an NFL frame and is a powerful tackler who can stop rushers and pass-catchers in their tracks. Though his speed and agility are below par, he’s highly instinctive and possesses the skills to make plays on the ball as a deep safety. Figuring out when to play him low and when to play him high will be the challenge for defensive coordinators, but even as a backup, he brings four-phase special teams talent to the table immediately.
Strengths
- Thick frame and long arms.
- Has a history of making big plays in big moments.
- Brings legitimate stopping power as a tackler.
- Can function like a linebacker when he walks into the box.
- Instinctive to get early jumps over the top from high safety.
- Tracks the deep ball like an outfielder to make plays.
- Pulled in eight career interceptions, including six in 2022.
Weaknesses
- Doesn’t have foot quickness for dynamic movements.
- Mental mistakes lead to easy touchdowns.
- Missing top-end speed and recovery burst.
- Lacks leverage and GPS in pursuit angles to find runners.
- Sits down to tackle too early, giving runner breakaway opportunity.
- Saw a high number of missed tackles in the open field in 2022.