Assessing 2011's most intriguing players, in no particular order. Today: South Carolina junior defensive end Devin Taylor.
? Typecasting. Taylor's most obvious asset out of high school — his height — also seemed to be his most limiting. At 6-6, 225 pounds, he had a small forward/spider monkey thing going on that relegated him to classic 'tweener status: Too tall and maybe a step slow for linebacker, but not nearly thick or strong enough to hold up as an SEC defensive end. (Not that this number is an immutable fact, but his incoming Rivals profile listed his maximum bench press at just 220 pounds, the kind of weight college linemen are expected to be able to throw up a couple dozen times in a set.) By the end of his redshirt year in 2008, though, Taylor had already added almost 20 pounds and quickly found his way onto the field as a part-time starter as a redshirt freshman in 2009.
As a full-time starter last fall, he quietly emerged as one of the most productive ends in the SEC, combining with linemate Melvin Ingram to the form the most sack-happy duo in the conference (16.5 takedowns between them), on the most sack-happy defense. He also picked up a second-team All-SEC nod from league coaches alongside more well-known senior Cliff Matthews. At 6-7, 248, Taylor remains firmly in the "long edge-rusher" mold entering year four, and with Matthews gone inherits the leadership role opposite a star-powered offense that will have the Gamecocks favored for a return trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game in December.
? Best-Case. Taylor racked up 7.5 sacks, including two against Georgia and one Herculean takedown of Cam Newton in the regular season, and led the team in quarterback hurries. But as good as he was off the edge,�he was almost as effective waving his hands in the air: With his looming frame, he also swatted down eight passes (more than any member of the Carolina secondary) and broke a close game against Tennessee wide open in October with his first career interception, a short throw he took back 24 yards for a touchdown off the Vols' true freshman quarterback, Tyler Bray, after dropping undetected into coverage on a zone blitz.
Listed alphabetically by school.
? KEENAN ALLEN, Cal
? MARCUS COKER, Iowa
? TYRANN MATHIEU, LSU
? SHAYNE SKOV, Stanford
That speaks to his versatility: Considering Taylor also led the defensive line in tackles in a scheme that generally relies on the front four to occupy blockers while the back seven makes most of the plays, he's the Gamecocks' best fit for a "hybrid" role that allows him to pin his ears back on the rush or peel off into the flat on passing downs.
? Worst-Case. There were times when he disappeared or seemed like just another interchangeable cog in the pass rush: He was entirely absent on paper from the sack fests against Furman (7 sacks) and Tennessee (6 sacks), only shared one of the Gamecocks' seven takedowns of Greg McElroy in the October upset over Alabama and failed to get to the quarterback at all in six of the last seven games. There's a better then even chance Taylor and Ingram are overshadowed by incoming hype magnet Jadeveon Clowney as the team's most feared rusher by midseason.
Also, while Carolina was more solid against the run in 2010 than it's been in ages —�12th nationally in yards per game, third in the SEC —�it's still hard to imagine Taylor holding up as an every-down anchor against linemen who outweigh him by 40 or 50 pounds. "Maintain leverage" isn't exactly a routine command for the tallest guy on the field.
? Fun Fact. If you Google Yahoo! the name "Devin Taylor" — which I do not recommend —�you'll make more than a passing acquaintance with another Devin Taylor, whose body of work is un-linkable here for many, many reasons. But Taylor has had much better luck with another "Devin Taylor" in the student body, who sought him out and struck up a friendship after coming across her name — that is, his name — in a game program during Taylor's freshman season:
"I was getting all of these friend requests on Facebook and instant messages from sorority girls I didn't know," he said. "I guess they thought I was her."
Which is kind of humorous when you see the two of them side by side. The non-football playing Devin is 5'-3" and tips the scales at maybe 110 pounds. Starting defensive end Devin is 6'-7" and weighs 250 pounds.
[…]
Little Devin is outgoing, a member of Alpha Chi Omega, whose parents ? both Clemson alumni ? call her their "little chicken."Big Devin is much more reserved ? his teammates nicknamed him "Don't Say Nothin'" his freshman year ? and he's content to let his play on the field speak for itself.
Which is a sweet story, really — except that, to certain minds, the headline it ran under in the alumni magazine might be a little too evocative of the other Devin Taylor.
? What to expect in the fall. Of the eight defensive linemen pegged last year as first or second-team All-SEC picks by conference coaches, only two from the second team —�Taylor and Arkansas' Jake Bequette —�are coming back, making Taylor arguably the most respected lineman in the league going into the season. That status may not last long with Clowney and other hyped up-and-comers like Florida's Ronald Powell angling for the limelight, but South Carolina doesn't need a star: The stars are on offense already, in quarterback Stephen Garcia, running back Marcus Lattimore and receiver Alshon Jeffery, all as good as they come in the conference.
But the Gamecocks' breakthrough last year was as much about their dramatic improvement in the trenches as it was the sudden star power on offense, and nowhere was that more true than in their sudden strength against the run. What they need on defense is a reliable, consistent leader who can stand his ground at the point of attack and deliver two or three pressure plays per game that force turnovers and get the opposing offense off the field. Taylor doesn't have to be a headliner, but his ongoing transition from pleasant surprise to every-down anchor is as key to Carolina's repeat bid as big numbers from the big names.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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