Leonard Taylor, Wolverine

Leonard Taylor, Wolverine


April 2, 2016
Leonard Taylor 805x

Springfield (OH) Springfield TE/DE Leonard Taylor

Springfield (OH) Springfield defensive end Leonard Taylor committed to Michigan on Friday night. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Tennessee, among others.

Taylor is listed at 6’6″, 245 lbs. on his Hudl page.

RATINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: Unranked
Scout: 4-star DE
247 Sports: 4-star, 95 grade, #3 DT, #22 overall

Hit the jump for more on Taylor’s commitment.

Taylor was offered by Michigan after his sophomore year, along with classmate Antwuan Johnson, who committed to the Wolverines in March. He already had solid offers from Nebraska and Tennessee, but after the Wolverines threw their hat in the ring, Ohio State and Notre Dame followed suit. It was thought that Taylor might follow his teammate and commit to the Wolverines, but the home-state Buckeyes can be difficult to overcome. When he visited for Michigan’s spring game, however, the atmosphere at the Big House sealed the deal.

Taylor has a huge frame for a sophomore on high school. He’s listed at 245 lbs., but I wouldn’t be surprised if he weighs more than that. He has good quickness, decent speed for his size, and impressive strength when he decides to use it. He’s the type of player you go after, regardless of technique, and worry about teaching him the fundamentals down the road (if his high school coaches don’t get it done in the next couple years). He takes some direct snaps on offense, and while he’s not Zach Gentry, he’s a load to bring down when he runs straight forward. The same thing can be said for him as a tight end, where he’s a bruising runner without a lot of fancy run-after-catch abilities.

As you might assume, his technique isn’t up to par yet. On defense, he frequently stands up too high on the snap, and he lets offensive linemen get into his chest. He needs to use his hands better, work on placement, and work on getting extension. It takes him too long to disengage from linemen, even when he knows where to go. As a tight end on offense, he needs to work on his release from the line of scrimmage, as well as his route running. His blocking could undergo some tweaks, too, and he needs to learn to finish plays.

A lot of the negatives I see in Taylor can be chalked up to age and inexperience. It’s somewhat rare to come across tenth graders who have advanced technique (although I do like that of Aidan Hutchinson), so size and athleticism are key when looking at sophomores. It’s hard to project Taylor at the next level because his body could outgrow tight end or even defensive end. He has a big backside, and I think he could very well grow into a defensive tackle in college.

Taylor is the second commitment from Ohio in the 2018 class, and he and Johnson make up the entirety of the 2018 class so far. The Wolverines only have 13 players scheduled to graduate after the 2017 season, so it may turn out to be Jim Harbaugh’s smallest class. Regardless, with National Signing Day almost two years ago, there’s a decent chance that one or both of Johnson and Taylor end up signing with another team.

TTB Rating: Ratings will not be released until the 2017 class wraps

3 comments

  1. Comments: 142
    Joined: 8/12/2015
    coachernie
    Apr 02, 2016 at 1:04 PM

    This guy fights hard at the point of attack. I like him on the DL, anywhere. Heard he already is considered a top Ohio recruit so got to love this pick-up.

  2. Comments: 6285
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Lanknows
    Apr 04, 2016 at 1:23 PM

    Just going off resemblance…Chris Wormley 2.0?

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Apr 04, 2016 at 7:58 PM

      I think Wormley was a better athlete as a sophomore. Not a bad comparison because they’re both athletic defensive tackle types, but Wormley had some skills as a speed rusher before I think he got a little sloppy/lackadaisical as an upperclassman.

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