Getty Former Miami defender Leonard Taylor III going through the drills at the NFL Combine.
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh provided the answers to the test at his final media availability ahead of training camp.
“I can’t speak for Miami [Hurricanes] in terms of what happened over there and how he [Leonard Taylor III] became an undrafted free agent. Like all rookies coming in, they just gotta learn to play to, speaking for us, to our standard and what we want. He is not going to have a talent issue and I’m not saying he’s a lazy guy or anything but they just have to learn how the intent, regard for their teammate, the strain that we ask these guys to play with, especially along the defensive line. If he can capture that and make that part of his DNA, I think he’s going to have a really long career,” Saleh explained at mandatory minicamp in June.
Taylor signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of the 2024 NFL draft. Dane Brugler of The Athletic projected the former Hurricanes standout as a fourth to fifth-round draft choice in “The Beast.”
“Taylor has the individual traits to be a disruptive presence against the run and rushing the passer,” Brugler explained.
The Jets Might Have Landed an Incredible Steal
Taylor, 22, was highly touted as a five-star prospect coming out of high school. He was the No. 4 defensive lineman in the 2021 recruiting class, the No. 3 recruit in Florida, and was the No. 11 overall recruit nationally, per Brugler.
The only recruits who were rated higher than him in 2021 in the state of Florida were JC Latham and Dallas Turner who both ended up going to Alabama and were first-round draft choices in April’s draft.
With that attention, Taylor garnered interest from some of the biggest schools in the country including but not limited to Alabama, Ohio State, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Auburn, and Florida State.
In his three seasons at Miami, Taylor finished with six sacks, 23.5 tackles for loss, an interception, and 25 solo tackles.
Those are fine numbers, but for someone with Taylor’s resume, it didn’t live up to the incredible hype from the high school level.
Brugler described Taylor as possessing a “picturesque frame with long arms and room for additional mass. Flashes juice in [his] lower body with an explosive get-off.”
The Blueprint to Not Only Make the Roster, but to Have a Long NFL Career
It’s going to be an incredibly difficult challenge to make the Jets roster in 2024. This group has consistently ranked inside the top-10 best rosters in the NFL by media folk.
Despite that, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic believes Taylor “has a legit shot of sticking around.”
He called him, “The most hyped of the undrafted rookies” and said he “flashed his talent in practice” this spring and early portions of the summer.
The green and white typically keep around 10 defensive linemen on the final 53-man roster. This offseason New York lost two roster locks in Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers.
When one door closes, another one opens. If Taylor can pair the talent he already has with what the Jets are providing, it might be the perfect recipe for a breakout in 2024.