PFF scouting report: Vincent Taylor, DI, Oklahoma State

Name: Vincent Taylor

School: Oklahoma State

Position: Nose tackle (0/1 technique)

Stats to know: 43 total pressures tied for 11th among all interior defensive linemen in 2016.

What he does best:

Tremendously powerful, uses heavy hands to shock lineman as he engages.
Consistently stands up blockers on initial contact.
Flashes ability to generate vertical movement against single blocks in the run game.
Displays good leverage and strength when bull rushing, consistently able to collapse the pocket.
Possesses sufficient power to disengage opposing lineman with just one arm.
Multi-dimensional pass-rusher, beat blocks using the swim, rip and arm over moves intermittently.
Forces offensive lineman to overextend with a developed push/pull move.
Sufficiently athletic for the position, unbalanced offensive lineman with quickness occasionally.
Refined upper body technique, displays good hand placement and ability to “get skinny” to penetrate.

Biggest concern:

Fails to consistently shed in the ground game, despite generating an early advantage in reps.
Lacks patience to find the ball, occasionally loses gap discipline.
Overly aggressive at times, widens lanes with attempts to penetrate.
Rarely generates pressure if initially blocked, lacks a variety of counter moves.
Not the stoutest against double teams, can be surprised by blindside chips.
Not the smoothest when required to change direction.

Player comparison: Michael Brockers, Los Angeles Rams

Like Brockers, Taylor has a long frame and both players can have their problems with double teams if they don’t win right off the snap. Brockers has had a solid career for the Rams, and Taylor should have plenty to stick around as a productive nose tackle at the next level.

Bottom line: If not for the depth in this class of defensive lineman, Taylor would undoubtedly have received more attention. He put together a remarkably impressive junior year, flashing an outstanding physical skillset. Taylor is already a well-developed pass-rusher, despite his tender years. In order to succeed at nose tackle in the NFL, however, he’ll need to improve against the run. Although Taylor flashed a spectacular skillset, consistency remains elusive.