Interesting thought on Taylor Mays

[FreeTedWilliams]

I was all over this guy last year (before he said he was staying in school) as the Pats pick for a Safety. He would have gone in the first half of the first round last year, but he is going to drop maybe out of the first round this year. His play at Safety as been, uninspired at best. I watched USC play and he seem, apathetic. I guess he wasn't used to losing. He has great size and toughness, here is something very interesting that I found on GBN:

It is from: Paul Guillemette, editor of Paul’s Pigskin Place and publisher of a newsletter

FS TAYLOR MAYS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, 6-5, 230 ... Mays may be one of the most overrated players in the 2010 draft class who reminds a lot of former Oklahoma SS Roy Williams. Mays is at least a step too late in coverage much of the time, plus he goes for the big hit too often at the expense of a secure wrap-up tackle. Mays will post exceptional triangle numbers, but I think he is a bit stiff in the hips. He will also get more than his share of roughness and late-hit penalties as a rookie in the NFL unless he changes his technique a bit. Mays is still a first-round prospect, but I think the projection will be with an OLB position in mind. That's going to be a bit of an ego battle is my guess like Thomas Davis went through when he first arrived in Carolina, but he has been very productive as an OLB for the Panthers.

I cried for Thomas Howard as a late round pass rusher, but I wonder if this would work? Mays certainly has the size, he is 30 pounds lighter but can easily bulk up to be the same size as Willie McGinest!

Now, I am not saying lets take a flier with the 1st rd pick on converting a guy from Safety to OLB, but it is an interesting theory. I wonder what happens if he falls into the second round?

 

[BritPat]

If he can't tackle he's absolutely useless as a linebacker.

Even so, he'd only really translate to the WLB position - Guyton? McKenzie? (Although the latter has good hands and is powerful - might work well at SLB if we stay with the 4-3)

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

You want to draft Mays and bulk him up to 270? Have you changed your name to "Freeze" Ted Williams? :stars2:

 

[Ochmed Jones]

When I watch Mays, the first thing that jumps out at me is how long it takes him to diagnose and read the play in front of him. In my mind he has poor instincts and that is why he appears a step slow in coverage.

Also Mays does not appear to learn from repeated failures. For example, against Oregon, he continually fell for the double move. OK, the first couple of times could have been luck by Oregon, but after getting beat a half dozen times on double moves, why is he still falling for them.

And finally, after playing years behind a superstar talent USC Defensive front seven with mutliple first round picks, he spends 2009 playing behind a young inexperienced defensive front seven that did not get after the QB nearly as well as previous teams, and suddenly Mays looks ordinary. How much better did those guys make Mays appear.

The class of the safety class this year is Berry. But the best free safety I saw play this year was Chad Jones of LSU. I know that at 6'3" he will not run the cone drill in world record time and because of that BB will probably pass on him. But this kid did it all for LSU this year and made big plays in every game.

 

[lostjumper]

I know that at 6'3" he will not run the cone drill in world record time and because of that BB will probably pass on him.

BB won't draft him becuase he's taller than 5' 9"...

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

First of all, he's not 6-5, he's more around 6-3. Second, he should've entered the draft last year while his stock was high as he would've been a 1st round pick easy. He flat out sucked this season. I don't really care for him anymore.