LA Rams virtually meet LB Taylor in search for defense speed

The LA Rams need speed defensively and hold a virtual meeting with speedy linebacker Davion Taylor

The LA Rams made a clean sweep of their 2019 linebackers. Gone are starters Clay Matthews, Dante Fowler Jr., Bryce Hager, and Cory Littleton. As they were all starting linebackers, no matter what you may believe, the LA Rams need to address the linebacker position in the 2020 NFL Draft, perhaps with multiple selections.

The linebacker position is not the most robust pool of talent in the 2020 NFL Draft. To be fair, the position has about 40-50 players that have been scouted for the position, all of whom must find homes among 32 NFL teams.  That comes out to about 1.5 linebackers per NFL team. That will fall short of the four vacancies which appeared on the Rams’ roster this offseason.

So it’s no surprise to anyone that the LA Rams continue to interview linebacker prospects who hope to hear their name called in the 2020 NFL Draft.  In short, the Rams are sweeping the NFL Draft hopefuls for some characteristics. One such linebacker is Colorado’s Davion Taylor.

Taylor is a raw, fairly standard-sized inside linebacker. Standing 6-foot-0 and weighing 228-pounds, he is similar in build to both linebackers who were selected in the latest LA Rams Mock Draft 6.0.  Per the Draft Network’s linebacker ranking, he is the 17th ranked linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft.

His inexperience with football stems from not playing the sport prior to college. In college, he had just two years at the linebacker position. That means he will arrive at the team as a virtual blank slate with plenty of athleticism. That athleticism virtually assures that he will be a productive special teams contributor in his first year. But is there more to be found in his future?

He is fast, strong and very coachable. The former track star is behind other prospects in terms of current production, but projects as a starter with the right development track and coaching. As such, he is likely targeted for the Rams as a special teams contributor who could hear his name in either round six or seven. He is a young man who arrives at the NFL more like clay, but who has the higher upside to evolve into a work of art. At another time, he would be a solid late-round pick. With the team facing needs for more immediate production, he may be an insurance policy for a late selection.

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