2. Devin Taylor, South Carolina, DE: When you're on a team with Jadeveon Clowney (a 6-6, 260-pounder with a 37.5-inch vertical) and you're the biggest freak in the program, that's saying something. The 6-7 Beaufort, S.C., native was an intriguing prospect that the Gamecocks' arch-rival Clemson never offered. Taylor, who won the state high school triple jump title, had good but not great football film. His demeanor, though, also made him a tough prospect to gauge, recalls the Gamecocks' D-line coach Brad Lawing. "People weren't sure about him. He was very intelligent, but he's an introvert," Lawing said.
The veteran D-line coach admitted he tested Taylor in summer camp: "I do 'combatives' with him. I'm gonna punch you as a O-lineman. I tried to punch a hole in his chest. Well, I could see how fired up he got. His eyes got red. He about whipped my ass when he came with his best pass rush move and it was violent." The Gamecocks' staff was sold. Taylor has blossomed in Columbia in a spectacular way. He arrived at 215 pounds, but now is an explosive 267-pounder who just broad-jumped 10-feet, 11-inches, verticals in the high 30s and has change-of-direction skills like a 5-9 cornerback. He has started 32 games in his career and has 27 TFLs and 15.5 sacks. Not bad for a guy who was once ranked as the 21st-best player in the state of South Carolina by one recruiting site and touted as the 93rd-best defensive end prospect by another. And the guy is still developing. Adds Lawing: "He probably just started shaving last year."
Gamecocks DE Devin Taylor is 6-foot-7 and 267 pounds but has change-of-directions skills like a 5-9 corner.
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