Player Information:
- Lane Taylor, OG Oklahoma State
- 6’3”/324 lbs
- Hometown – Arlington, Texas
Pro Day:
- 40 yard: 5.35
- 20 yard: 3.07
- 10 yard: 1.88
- Bench: 31
- Vertical: 24.5”
- Broad: 96
- Shuttle: 4.72
- 3-cone: 8.41
Introduction:
Lane Taylor was the Packers’ top priority immediately after the NFL draft concluded, giving him a $7,000 signing bonus; while that sounds like nothing for a professional football player, but keep in mind many undrafted rookies get no signing bonus and Taylor’s $7,000 is significantly higher than quarterback Matt Brown, who only received $5,000. While I’ve argued that Taylor has a shot at playing center based on his body size, chances are good that if he makes the team it will be on his strength at guard with the flexibility to kick in to center if needed.
Media Analysis:
CBS Sports: After spending a lot of time in the weight room, he has done a nice job putting on weight and maxing out his frame, adding over 30 pounds since his freshman season. Taylor isn’t the most mobile blocker, but he stays coordinated in his stance and works well in small areas. With the Cowboys having to replace three starting offensive linemen from last season, Taylor’s leadership and experience will be key for Oklahoma State’s offensive success in 2012.
Video:
Pass Blocking
Run Blocking
Analysis:
- Taylor is #68 and plays right guard in both clips.
- Pro day numbers are really bad, in particular his broad jump would have been the worst and his vertical jump would have been among the worst at the combine for any position.
- Has the ability to just stonewall players, even bigger defensive tackles have issues against him.
- On the flip side, kicking him out to block a pass rushing defensive end is a bad idea, he lacks the feet to redirect the better pass rushers. Might also get beat by faster defensive linemen on twists and stunts.
- A much better run blocker than pass blocker
- Can hold his own when pass blocking but has issues when having to peel off and block a late blitzer.
- Surprisingly good at the second level, usually gets to his man and blocks them out of the play
Packers rationale: There’s usually at least one undrafted rookie that makes the 53 man roster so far, I’d put my money on Taylor being that guy. He enters a pretty good situation where the, Evan Dietrich-Smith just became the starter and the backup interior swing linemen position is up for grabs. Add to that the likely season ending injury to 4th round pick JC Tretter and its very likely that a rookie will take over the spot. As I mentioned before, Taylor might have the optimal “butt height” for any rookie linemen this year and if he can show some ability to play center he’s almost a lock to make the 53-man roster or the practice squad.
——————Thomas Hobbes is a staff writer for Jersey Al’s AllGreenBayPackers.com.
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He has a shot, but I think he spends a year on the PS. Van Roten is the guy w/ the most experience being a swing OG/C having done it all last year. I don’t think Taylor has ever played Center, so even IF the Packers look at him at Center he’s got a long ways to go. With Tretter out Taylor is gonna get some looks at Center but he’s too inexperienced there this year IMO.
He’s gotta work on his mobility. If that means losing some weight or whatever. But he’s got to get a lot better movement before he’s ready to see the field.
He’s a little miscast for the Packers offense, I would have thought a power O-line like the Cowboys would have been more interested but never the less, I do think he has a good shot at sticking with the team whether it be on the practice squad or on the 53 man roster. Frankly, I think Barclay will ultimately end up as the swing interior linemen, where I think he’s a better fit. He probably has no experience at center either but then again that doesn’t seem to be much of an issue for the Packers.
Non-athletic mauler type. Don’t we have enough of those guys already? Pass on Taylor. I’d rather wait for Tretter to take over the center-spot, and if he’s projected to guard, then I’d rather see Datko. PS if you must, but not on the 53.
I highly doubt Tretter will be called back to action this season, so you still need to find a swing offensive linemen this year and Datko has no experience playing guard as far as I can tell (not that has stopped the Packers before). I would say that centers are probably going to have to get bigger with the increase in 3-4 defenses and huge 0 technique nose tackles.
Agree on Tretter. TT will use the IR and give Tretter a year to bulk up, learn the offense and be ready to compete next year.
Taylor might be an option in the 4th quarter and on 3rd and 1’s. He probably can RUN block as good as Lang (by middle of season). If he comes in the box will get 8 guys on defense.
Guard was a big need for the division opponents so getting the kid until September deprives the other teams. Just my thoughts on the matter.
Nice write up. I appreciate reading about the potential new guys. The 90 will get cut down to 53 and that will make this year very competitive.
I’m not sure the Packers would want to break continuity by swapping Taylor in for Lang on 3rd and short, plus it’s a dead give away that it’s a running play. I don’t really see offensive linemen swapping out around the league outside of injuries.
Yes, thanks for the insight into these less heralded guys. They are longer shots but the Packers seem to do a good job of identifying potential. Always love an underdog.
Ironically, since the Packers have such a long history of playing undrafted rookies, I’d be willing to bet at least 1 or 2 undrafted rookie makes it to the 53 man roster with another 1 or 2 making it to the practice squad as well. There are guys here that will be on the team come opening day.
Isn’t this the guy that didn’t allow a sack his last two years in school? Also could someone explain to me why having good scores for the broad jump and vertical jump makes a difference for offensive lineman? Explosion off the line is all I could think of. I would think the guy has some decent game not giving up a sack in two years play1ng in the conferences he played in.
Typically broad and vertical jump are indicators of lower body strength, similar to how the bench press is used to measure upper body strength (for better or worse). Your legs are a lot stronger than your arms (hence why you can squat more than they can lift), so presumably more of a player’s power also comes from their legs (Stroh, this comment is begging for your insight). Either way, you would like a player to be close or better than the average and Taylor’s measurements would have been the worst of all offensive linemen, who themselves aren’t going to record the highest measurements.
Thank you Mr. Hobbes, excellent explanation. So this is the kid that didn’t allow a sack his last two seasons, correct? If so, that’s impressive no matter what.
You never know. The rube on him is his legs are not strong enough to hold off the bull rushers and fast defensive ends. It that is true, he probably fails. If he can develop strength and agility he could be a steal.
Gotta be a reason 31 other teams passed on him, more than once, but 7 times. That’s always what I look at. What are the other teams seeing.