Gang Green Nation
In a down season for the Jets a rookie defensive tackle began to make his mark in the NFL
There’s something special when an undrafted free agent (UDFA) makes good. The idea of a player that not a single team wanted to draft making each team wish they had drafted him just adds to the joys of seeing of a young player blossom.
I noted early in the offseason that one New York Jet UDFA who could outkick his proverbial coverage was Leonard Taylor III, which was a pretty common pick to stick on the roster among the New York Jets UDFAs. And, as luck would have it, Taylor did beat the odds to some degree and made the team’s roster. Beyond that, he did pretty well when he did play.
In addition to this positive evaluation from PFF on grades, Taylor netted 2 sacks, 9 pressures, 1 QB hit, and 6 hurries in terms of counting stats. None of those are a ton as stand-alone stats, but they are certainly praiseworthy for a rookie who only saw 114 pass rushing snaps.
With this pass rushing success noted, it is also important to recognize that Taylor did not fare as well in the run game with a PFF grade of 56.9 that ranked 86 of the 219 qualified interior lineman. Improving in this area will be critical if Taylor is to take the next step and grow into more of a full time role. If that happens, then it’s possible the Jets could be looking at their next great UDFA underdog story.
What did you think of Taylor’s first season?
