Would you draft Taylor Mays to play OLB

[mussop]

I really see him falling in this draft unless he can make an impression at the combine as an OLB. He just doesnt seem to have the instincts to warrent a high round 1 pick as a Safety. With his speed and size he might be better suited for OLB.

Alot of people see him going to the Raiders because of his speed. I think crazy Al will go speed but at a more valuable position. My bet is Haden will be wearing silver and black next year making alot Texan fans weeping on draft day.

[nunusguy]

Mays was all the rage last year and many thought he'd be a top 10 pick had he come out at the end of his junior year, so I dunno what happened between last year and this year to make his stock drop so much ? I guess the team success of the Trojans and in particular their defense last year, which of course turned around and plummeted this year, was the basis for his high-rankings ?
I think he's been playing FS for USC, so perhaps if he's used more exclusely as a strong safety or at LB as you suggest his Draft prospects might be higher ?

[barrett]

What happened was (1) he played injured and (2) he appeared to put on more weight.

He looked very stiff in coverage this year and has started to look more like Roy Williams (the safety) than I would feel comfortable with as a GM with a high 1st round pick.

[nunusguy]

What happened was (1) he played injured and (2) he appeared to put on more weight.

He looked very stiff in coverage this year and has started to look more like Roy Williams (the safety) than I would feel comfortable with as a GM with a high 1st round pick.

I plead ignorance because I didn't even know he had been injured ? Actually I don't think I saw him & his team play this year except for their contest vs Stanford, and in that game Toby Gerhart was busy running over every Trojan defender on the field as I recall.
So you're saying when he's fully recovered from his injury and down to his optimal playing weight he might be worthy of a relatively high first round pick again even though most don't recommend using real high Draft picks on all but the most extraordinary safetys ?

[barrett]

I plead ignorance because I didn't even know he had been injured ? Actually I don't think I saw him & his team play this year except for their contest vs Stanford, and in that game Toby Gerhart was busy running over every Trojan defender on the field as I recall.
So you're saying when he's fully recovered from his injury and down to his optimal playing weight he might be worthy of a relatively high first round pick again even though most don't recommend using real high Draft picks on all but the most extraordinary safetys ?

I'm not sure honestly. I don't know enough about him. I just know I was very impressed the one time I saw him as a Junior, and then not very impressed the three games I watched as a Senior. I was told a lot of it had to do with a knee injury in the beginning of the year that he played with all season.

Either way he looked too big and a little stiff. Like he had accidentally lifted himself out of the safety position. As far as OLB it would depend on if we are still in a 4-3 next year (which depends on our coach). He may be able to play LB in a 4-3 but definitely not in a 3-4. Plus I like our current LB crew. I wouldn't draft him unless it was to play FS (which means I wouldn't take him in the 1st at all if based on what I saw this year).

[painekiller]

Taylor the safety does remind me of Roy Williams, he plays more a hybrid LB that many of the colleges are using now. Taylor is not the clean tackler I want from a safety. He does not wrap well.

As for coverage, the small bits I can see on TV, he is not an elite coverage guy like our team needs.

Would I draft Mays to be an OLB? No I would rather take Weatherspoon, who is lower on every draft chart I have seen.

Taking Weatherspoon to play with Ryans and Cushing would give the Texans one of the best pass coverage group of LBs in the league, and they are better against the run then they are against the pass.

[NBT]

NO! He needs to stay at safety. Besides I don't think we need to waste a first round pick on a LB. We need defensive and offensive lineman in a worse way.

[mussop]

NO! He needs to stay at safety. Besides I don't think we need to waste a first round pick on a LB. We need defensive and offensive lineman in a worse way.

I should of been more specific. I think he is going to fall into the second round.

[painekiller]

I should of been more specific. I think he is going to fall into the second round.

As you pointed out, Al Davis still in the league, no way he drops to the 2nd.

[mussop]

As you pointed out, Al Davis still in the league, no way he drops to the 2nd.

Yes but speed is Davis's weak point. Haden will outrun Mays and plays a more important position. I cannot fathom even Davis taking Mays over Haden.

[Fonz the Boss]

He needs to stay at safety and we should not draft him anyways. We need a true shut down corner. We have seen how versatile a defense can be by having a guy like Revis, Asomugha, and maybe even both Cromarties...... heck Green Bay is the top ranked defense in the league and its mainly because they have 2 corners that play man up most of the time. A shut down corner is of higher priority over having a big time safety imo.

[NBT]

My emphasis on this coming draft has changed anyway. Instead of a safety I would draft a CB to replace Robinson, or I would go for that RB that has eluded us. However, having said that, our biggest needs would probably be OC and OG, and DL.

[nunusguy]

Most Disappointing Player in Mobile
Taylor Mays/S/USC: For Mays the week turned into a potpourri of skills he's likely to struggle with in the NFL; he'll struggle handling man-to-man coverage assignments and struggle making plays sideline-to-sideline as a true NFL centerfielder. Mays is still a legitimate prospect for the next level but the limitations he displayed this week will reduce the number of teams wanting to acquire him in April.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/01/29/senior.bowl/
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Apparently more and more people are looking to Mays as a 'backer as his best shot in the NFL ?

[texan]

Most Disappointing Player in Mobile
Taylor Mays/S/USC: For Mays the week turned into a potpourri of skills he's likely to struggle with in the NFL; he'll struggle handling man-to-man coverage assignments and struggle making plays sideline-to-sideline as a true NFL centerfielder. Mays is still a legitimate prospect for the next level but the limitations he displayed this week will reduce the number of teams wanting to acquire him in April.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/01/29/senior.bowl/
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Apparently more and more people are looking to Mays as a 'backer as his best shot in the NFL ?

Ugh, I was hoping he'd start impressing scouts and let Earl Thomas fall to us. Guess that's not going to happen now.

[Roy P]

No I would rather take Weatherspoon, who is lower on every draft chart I have seen.

Taking Weatherspoon to play with Ryans and Cushing would give the Texans one of the best pass coverage group of LBs in the league, and they are better against the run then they are against the pass.

Now we are talking. Remember when people were talking abour Aaron Curry being the "safest" pick last year? That's Weatherspoon.

[idymoe]

He may be the safest, but the only I would be more shocked is if they took a wide receiver in the first.

[nunusguy]

My former SC teammate Taylor Mays has been under the microscope lately since the Combine. All I can tell you is he’s a hard worker, a solid kid who wants to play football. Whatever his time was in the 40, he’s a guy who could catch anyone on the football field. I saw him plenty of times, if anyone on the other team got loose, he was the last line of defense and always made the tackle. There’s absolutely no question that I would be thrilled to have him on our team.
http://affiliate.kickapps.com/_My-MMA-Workouts/BLOG/2158764/113583.html?widgetId=314126
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Did Cushings endorsement of former teammate Taylor Mays change any minds about the USC safety in the upcoming Draft ?

[Roy P]

Did Cushings endorsement of former teammate Taylor Mays change any minds about the USC safety in the upcoming Draft ?

I'd say the interception in the Senior Bowl and watching him run a 4.3 at the Combine made me willing to take a chance on him.

[painekiller]

I'd say the interception in the Senior Bowl and watching him run a 4.3 at the Combine made me willing to take a chance on him.

ditto, May's is a top ten athlete, and he showed promise during the Senior Bowl game. He looked lost during drills. So the jury is out, and if Rhodes and Gibbs bless the kid, then I'm in.

[Roy P]

What is ironic is that 2 years ago, I liked Cushing and then took him off my list because of the possibility of HGH and the fact that he was a 'two-down' linebacker. So, I was basically talked out of it.

Then last year, I was all giddy about Taylor. After his senior year, I jumped off the bandwagon. Well, I'm back on. He's not at the top of My Guys, but he's in the room.

[nunusguy]

Taylor should be there for us if you want him, unless of course he runs sub 4.2 at the SC Pro Day. It could happen you know, one guy gets a real quick clocking and ESPN goes with the time and before anybody can confirm or deny Taylor is the new Dion Sanders in legendary 40 times.
Oh if liked Taylor that much because of his Indy performance, how about Bruce Campbell, his Combine numbers were even more impressive than Taylors ? He'll probably also be there at 20 ?

[Roy P]

Taylor should be there for us if you want him.

Oh if liked Taylor that much because of his Indy performance, how about Bruce Campbell, his Combine numbers were even more impressive than Taylors ? He'll probably also be there at 20 ?

It depends upon who else is there at #20.

It will be interesting to see where Bruce Campbell goes. Jared Gaither has turned into quite the LT after being taken in the supplemental draft. I'm sure somebody who needs a LT will 'reach' for him must like we did when we selected Duane Brown. Just hoping it's not us who does the reaching. :D

[NBT]

Question is, would he have any better instincts than Wilson, who is already at FS for us.

[painekiller]

Taylor should be there for us if you want him, unless of course he runs sub 4.2 at the SC Pro Day. It could happen you know, one guy gets a real quick clocking and ESPN goes with the time and before anybody can confirm or deny Taylor is the new Dion Sanders in legendary 40 times.
Oh if liked Taylor that much because of his Indy performance, how about Bruce Campbell, his Combine numbers were even more impressive than Taylors ? He'll probably also be there at 20 ?

Campbell has to get past the Raiders at #8. Don't say it can not happen they took Bey 20 picks to high last season, and he has flopped so far.

Is Janikowski the last 1st round pick that has panned out for them?

looked it up and Janikowski and Nnamdi Asomugha are the only 1st rounders out of the last 10 to not be flops, Fabian Washington is playing but he is not worth his pick. No wonder they suck, Al Davis needs to hand the reins over to someone.

[nunusguy]

Ever since January when Pete Carroll took the Seattle Seahawks job, Taylor Mays said he had been thinking he would only have to drive a few miles over a few bridges from Seattle to Renton, Wash., to meet the press after being drafted into the NFL.

It all made sense. He was from Seattle. Carroll had recruited him out of Seattle to USC, where the All-America safety had spent the past four years. Carroll had convinced him to stay last season, even though most scouts predicted he'd be at least a top-15 pick. http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/news/story?id=5131914
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Ouch ! If that's true, don't blame Mays for being bitter towards his college coach.