Would you draft Taylor Mays to play OLB

mussop · #1 12-13-2009, 02:39 AM

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 · #2 12-14-2009, 08:27 AM

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 · #3 12-14-2009, 08:59 AM

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 · #4 12-14-2009, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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 · #5 12-14-2009, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nunusguy

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 · #6 12-14-2009, 03:21 PM

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.