Ryan Taylor (American football)

Ryan Lawrence Taylor (born November 16, 1987) is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He played college football at North Carolina. Taylor was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, and Kansas City Chiefs.

Ryan Taylor
Taylor with the Packers in 2011
Free agent
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1987-11-16) November 16, 1987
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:254 lb (115 kg)
Career information
High school:Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem, NC)
College:North Carolina
NFL Draft:2011 / Round: 7 / Pick: 218
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:8
Receiving yards:45
Receiving touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Taylor attended Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and played on all sides of the ball.[1] During his time on the team, he was a two time all-conference selection and went 12-2 in his sophomore season, making it into the state championship.[1] As a senior, Taylor broke the single season records with 64 receptions that went for 1,180 yards and had 13 touchdowns. On top of that, he rushed the ball 13 times for 85 yards and an additional three scores.[1] On special teams, he returned nine kicks and 16 punts for 177 and 116 yards respectively. Coming out of high school, Taylor received scholarship offers for lacrosse at the University of Virginia, but turned them down to play for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Rivals.com ranked him as the 47th best tight end in the country and he was considered the 21st best player in the state of North Carolina; he was also a member of the state's Shrine Team.[1]

College career

Taylor played four seasons at North Carolina and departed as a redshirt senior. His role for the Tar Heels was limited to special teams during his first year. He was one of four true freshman to see playing time. Playing special teams he had four tackles, two solo stops and two assists.[2][1] He again continued to play primarily on special teams during his sophomore season. He had five tackles, and in a game against James Madison University recovered a blocked punt.[1] Taylor began to have a bigger role in his junior season, and was named as a special teams captain.[1] He played in all thirteen games and had 19 tackles, the majority of which were on special teams, but the others as a backup linebacker. During a game against NC State, he played on all three sides of the ball as a Tight End, Linebacker, and on special teams.[2] In 2009, he was redshirted after injuring his knee in camp.[1] In his final year with the Tar heels, he again played on all the sides of the ball and was the special teams captain for the second time in his career.[2] After the loss of starting tight end Zack Pianalto, he took over as the starter and went on to break the school record for receptions as a tight end with 36, two of those for touchdowns.[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)
254 lb
(115 kg)
4.76 s1.69 s2.82 s4.47 s7.09 s34 in
(0.86 m)
9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)
21 reps
All values are from Pro Day[3]

Taylor was considered to be a possible H-back candidate in the National Football League.[4] Scouts stated that he had "solid hands" and "snatches low and high throws with equal aplomb".[4] They also stated that he was quick on his routes and could separate linebackers from the inside or outside.[4] For his negatives they stated that he only had "average" size for his position and did not possess the strength to be an inside linebacker.[4] They also stated that he could not separate with the speed of NFL linebackers.[4]

Green Bay Packers

Taylor was selected in the seventh round (218th overall) by the Green Bay Packers in the 2011 NFL Draft.[5] On July 29, 2011, he signed a contract with the Packers.[6]

On December 14, 2011, Taylor caught his first reception and touchdown as a professional, against the Oakland Raiders. The catch was a four-yard completion from Aaron Rodgers.[7]

On October 6, 2014, he was waived by the Packers.[8]

Baltimore Ravens

On October 7, 2014, Taylor was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Ravens.[9] He was inactive for weeks 6 and 7 and did not play in any games during his tenure with the Ravens.[10]

On October 25, 2014, he was waived by Ravens.[11]

Cleveland Browns

Taylor was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns on October 27, 2014. On December 27, 2014, he was released by the Browns.[12]

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins signed Taylor on February 10, 2015.[13] On May 11, 2015, Taylor was released to make room for the signing of TE Tim Semisch.[14]

Kansas City Chiefs

Taylor signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in May 2015.[15] On September 5, 2015, the Chiefs cut Taylor.[16]

Career stats

YearTeamGamesReceptionsTargetsReceiving YardsYards per ReceptionLongest ReceptionReceiving TouchdownsFirst DownsFumblesFumbles Lost
2011GB151144.041100
2012GB16111111.0110100
2013GB1469305.080210
Total45811455.6111410

[17]

References

  1. "Player Bio:Ryan Taylor". Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  2. "Green Bay Packers: Ryan Taylor". Packers.com.
  3. "Ryan Taylor - North Carolina, TE : 2011 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  4. "Ryan Taylor, North Carolina". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  5. "2011 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  6. "Packers sign seven draft choices, two undrafted free agents". Packers.com. July 29, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  7. "Sunday, December 14". USA Today. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  8. "Packers sign WR Kevin Dorsey to active roster, release TE Ryan Taylor". Packers.com. October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  9. Downing, Garrett (October 7, 2014). "Ravens claim tight end Ryan Taylor off waivers". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  10. Ryan Taylor Game Logs www.nfl.com, Retrieved, October 27, 2014
  11. Mink, Ryan (October 25, 2014). "Ravens promote TE Phillip Supernaw, waive Ryan Taylor". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  12. "Cleveland Browns Transactions - 2014". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  13. Dolphins sign TE Ryan Taylor to bolster depth www.sun-sentinel.com, Retrieved, March 29, 2015
  14. "Dolphins sign TE Tim Semisch after tryout, release Ryan Taylor". 247SPORTS. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  15. "Chiefs sign tight end Ryan Taylor". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  16. Chiefs trade McCray to Seahawks while trimming roster www.usatoday.com, Retrieved September 7, 2015
  17. "Ryan Taylor Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.