Taywan Taylor

Taywan Marshawn Taylor[1][2] (born March 2, 1995) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted in the third round by the Tennessee Titans in 2017 and he played college football at Western Kentucky.

Taywan Taylor
refer to caption
Taylor with the Tennessee Titans in 2018
Personal information
Born: (1995-03-02) March 2, 1995
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Louisville (KY) Pleasure Ridge Park
College:Western Kentucky
Position:Wide receiver
NFL Draft:2017 / Round: 3 / Pick: 72
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2021
Receptions:53
Receiving yards:697
Receiving touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com

After two seasons with the Titans, he was then traded to the Cleveland Browns, with whom he received minimal playing time over the next two seasons. He then had an offseason stint with the Houston Texans.

Early life

Taylor attended Pleasure Ridge Park High School in Louisville, Kentucky.[3] As a senior, he had 52 receptions for 1,169 yards and 18 total touchdowns for the football team. He committed to Western Kentucky University to play college football. Taylor also played basketball in high school.[4]

College career

As a true freshman at Western Kentucky in 2013, Taylor played in 11 games with seven starts and had 24 receptions for 270 yards.[5][6] As a sophomore in 2014, he played in all 13 games with seven starts and recorded 45 receptions for 767 yards and seven touchdowns.[7][8] Taylor set numerous school records his junior year in 2015. He finished the year with 86 receptions for 1,467 yards and 17 touchdowns, all school records.[9][10][11] He also broke school records for career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns during the season.[12] As a senior in 2016, Taylor broke the previous year's records with 98 receptions for 1,730 yards and 17 touchdowns.[13][14] He also broke the school career receptions record during the season.[15] For his career, he had 253 receptions for 4,234 yards and 41 touchdowns.

He graduated from Western Kentucky in May 2017 with a degree in elementary education.

Collegiate statistics

The following table lists Taylor's career statistics.[16]

Taywan Taylor
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing
RecYardsAvgRec TDAttYardsAvgTD
2013 WKU 102427011.3000–0
2014 WKU 124576717.07111110
2015 WKU 14861,46717.117720.30
2016 WKU 14981,73017.7176366.00
Career 502534,23416.74114493.50

Professional career

On November 15, 2016, it was reported that Taylor and teammate Forrest Lamp had received and accepted offers to play in the 2017 Senior Bowl.[17] Taylor was impressive during Senior Bowl practices and showed his ability to focus on contested catches and showed smooth route running.[18] He reportedly drew interest from multiple teams throughout the week and had meetings with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders.[19] On January 28, 2017, Taylor caught one reception for 14-yards, helping Cleveland Browns' head coach Hue Jackson's South team defeat the North 16–15.[20] Taylor was one of 58 wide receivers invited to perform at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed all of the combine drills and finished first among his position group in the three-cone drill, tied for third in the short shuttle, and finished sixth in the broad jump.[21] On March 27, 2017, Taylor attended Western Kentucky's pro day, along with Forrest Lamp, Max Halpin, and six other teammates.[22] He opted to run positional drills and attempted to improve on his vertical jump and broad jump from the combine. Taylor increased his vertical to 38", but was unable to improve on his broad jump. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Taylor was projected by NFL draft experts and analysts to be a third or fourth round pick. He was ranked the 14th best wide receiver prospect by NFLDraftScout.com.[23]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 11 in
(1.80 m)		 203 lb
(92 kg)		 32+5⁄8 in
(0.83 m)		 9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		4.50 s1.52 s2.56 s4.21 s6.57 s33+1⁄2 in
(0.85 m)		11 ft 0 in
(3.35 m)		13 reps
All values from NFL Combine[24]

Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans selected Taylor in the third round (72nd overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[25] He was the second wide receiver selected by the Tennessee Titans in 2017, behind Western Michigan's Corey Davis, who was selected in the first round (5th overall).[26]

2017 season
Taylor in 2017

On June 5, 2017, the Tennessee Titans signed Taylor to a four-year, $3.68 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $916,012.[27]

Throughout training camp, he competed against Eric Decker for the vacant starting slot receiver job after the departure of longtime veteran Kendall Wright during free agency. Although he competed with Decker, he worked and learned under him extensively.[28] Head coach Mike Mularkey named him the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart to start the regular season, behind Rishard Matthews, Eric Decker, and Corey Davis.[29]

Taylor made his NFL debut in the Titans' season-opener against the Oakland Raiders and recorded two receptions for 14-yards during their 26–16 loss. His first career reception came in the second quarter on a four-yard pass from Marcus Mariota before being tackled by Raiders' cornerback Sean Smith.[30][31] On October 8, 2017, Taylor earned his first career start after Corey Davis was inactive due to a hamstring injury.[32] He had a 5-yard carry during a 16–10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.[33] On October 16, 2017, he caught his first NFL touchdown, a 53-yard pass from Mariota in a 36–22 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football. Taylor finished the game with two receptions for 61 receiving yards.[34] The following game, Taylor had a season-high three receptions for 45-yards during a 12–9 overtime victory at the Cleveland Browns.[35][36]

Taylor finished his rookie season with 16 receptions, 231 receiving yards, 43 rushing yards, and 1 receiving touchdown.[37] The Titans made the playoffs and faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round. In the 22–21 victory, he had a four-yard reception.[38] In the Divisional Round against the New England Patriots, he had a five-yard reception as the Titans lost 35–14.[39]

2018 season

On September 16, 2018, Taylor caught his first and only touchdown of the season on a screen pass from Blaine Gabbert as the Titans beat the Houston Texans by a score of 20–17. Two weeks later, Taylor had a career-high seven receptions for 77 yards during a 26–23 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. However, during a Week 9 victory against the Dallas Cowboys, Taylor injured his foot, causing him to miss the next 3 games. He returned in time for the Week 13 matchup against the New York Jets and had his first 100-yard game, catching 3 passes for 104 yards as the Titans won by a score of 26–22.[40]

Taylor finished his second professional season with 37 receptions for 466 yards and a touchdown.

Cleveland Browns

On August 31, 2019, Taylor was traded to the Cleveland Browns for an undisclosed 2020 NFL Draft pick.[41] Taylor only played in three games from Weeks 2–4, starting the Browns' Week two game against the New York Jets, and was only targeted once for a reception in the season, not making it. He did return three kicks for 53 yards. The Browns finished with a 6–10 record.

Taylor was waived by the Browns on September 5, 2020.[42] The Browns re-signed Taylor to their practice squad on September 6, 2020.[43] Taylor was promoted to the Browns' active roster on October 7, 2020.[44] The Browns placed Taylor on injured reserve with a neck injury on December 8, 2020.[45]

Houston Texans

On May 20, 2021, Taylor signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans.[46] He was placed on injured reserve on August 25, 2021, and released on September 3.

New Orleans Breakers

Taylor was selected in the 16th round of the 2022 USFL draft by the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League.[47] He was transferred to the team's practice squad before the start of the regular season on April 16,[48] and transferred back to the active roster on April 22.[49]

NFL statistics
Regular season statistics
Season Team Games Receiving Rushing Returning Fumbles
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTDAttYdsAvgLngTDRetYdsAvgLngTDFUMLost
2017TEN 1641623114.453T18435.4170000.00000
2018TEN 1353746612.6551000.000000.00011
2019CLE 31000.000000.00035317.723000
2020 CLE 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Career35105369713.25528435.417035317.723011
Postseason statistics
Season Team Games Receiving Rushing Returning Fumbles
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTDAttYdsAvgLngTDRetYdsAvgLngTDFUMLost
2017TEN 20294.550––––––––––––
Career20294.550––––––––––––

References
  1. "Taywan Taylor Pro-Football-Reference Profile". rbref.com.
  2. "Taywan Taylor". September 1, 2018. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  3. "Former PRP and WKU star Taywan Taylor selected by Titans in NFL Draft". WAVE3. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  4. Boys' Sweet 16 | Taywan Taylor PRP's man for two seasons
  5. WKU wide receiver Taywan Taylor catching on
  6. "Taywan Taylor 2013 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  7. Saban: Western Kentucky receiver as good as any WR we'll play this year
  8. "Taywan Taylor 2014 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  9. After breezing past defenses, WKU's Taylor returns to challenge himself
  10. HILLTOPPER FOCUS: WKU WR Taywan Taylor enjoys testing NFL waters, but ready to go out with a bang in senior season
  11. "Taywan Taylor 2015 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  12. Record-breaking WR Taylor ready for final year at WKU
  13. L'Ville natives look to end WKU careers on top
  14. "Taywan Taylor 2016 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  15. WKU WR Taylor breaks Hilltopper career receptions record
  16. "Taywan Taylor College Stats - College Football at Sports-Reference.com".
  17. "Lamp, Taylor earn Senior Bowl invitations". espnky.com. November 15, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  18. Tony Pauline (January 26, 2017). "Day Two Senior Bowl Risers". draftanalyst.com. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  19. Kevin Boilard (January 25, 2017). "WR Taywan Taylor intriguing Raiders at 2017 Senior Bowl". 247sports.com. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  20. John Reecer (January 30, 2017). "Lamp, Taylor impress at Reese's Senior Bowl". wkuherald.com. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  21. "NFL Combine results 2017: Full wide receiver numbers". sbnation.com. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  22. Gil Brandt (March 27, 2017). "Pro day results: Iowa, Houston, Villanova, WKU, Texas Southern". NFL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  23. "Taywan Taylor, DS #14 WR, Western Kentucky". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  24. "NFL Draft Profile: Taywan Taylor". NFL.com. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  25. Wyatt, Jim (April 28, 2017). "Titans Trade with Patriots; Select Western Kentucky WR Taywan Taylor in 3rd Round". TitansOnline.com.
  26. "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  27. "Spotrac.com: Taywan Taylor contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  28. Jason Wolf (August 2, 2017). "Titans ask Eric Decker to coach up rookie Taywan Taylor". Tennessean.com. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  29. "Ourlads.com: Tennessee Titan's depth chart: 09/01/2017". ourlads.com. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  30. "NFL Game Center: Week 1–2017: Oakland Raiders @ Tennessee Titans". NFL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  31. "Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans – September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  32. Terry Lambert (October 8, 2017). "NFL Week Five Inactives: Titans-Dolphins". musiccitymiracles.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  33. "Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins – October 8th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  34. "Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans – October 16th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  35. "N Player stats: Taywan Taylor (2017)". NFL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  36. "Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns – October 22nd, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  37. "Taywan Taylor 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  38. "Wild Card – Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs – January 6th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  39. "Divisional Round – Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots – January 13th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  40. "New York Jets at Tennessee Titans – December 2nd, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  41. Kayla Anderson (August 31, 2019). "Titans make final cuts, trade Taylor to the Browns". WKRN.com. Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  42. Risdon, Jeff (September 5, 2020). "Browns pull the plug on WRs Damion Ratley, Taywan Taylor". Browns Wire. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  43. "Browns Claim Two Players; Announce 14 Practice Squad Members". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 6, 2020.
  44. "Browns designate TE David Njoku for return, sign WR Taywan Taylor". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 7, 2020.
  45. "Browns make roster moves". ClevelandBrowns.com. December 8, 2020.
  46. "Houston Texans Transactions (5-20-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. May 20, 2021.
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  48. @USFLBreakers (April 16, 2022). "Roster Updates: Transferred to practice squad:" (Tweet). Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via Twitter.
  49. @USFLBreakers (April 22, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved April 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
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