Taylor is a very good two-sport athlete,” 247Sports national analyst
Charles Power told GoVols247, “as a star for Oxford in both football and basketball. He’s a physical, coordinated pass catcher.
“Taylor excels at the catch point with his strong hands. He comes down with impressive contested catches and also shows the ability to track the ball downfield. He’s bouncy athlete and shows that some on the basketball court.”
Taylor is ranked as 17th among tight ends according to the industry-rated 247Sports Composite and is the No. 18 overall prospect out of Alabama.
In the graphic announcing his commitment, Taylor was listed as a wide receiver.
"To me this is a really low-risk prospect," 247Sports Director of Scouting Barton Simmons said. "He’s got plus frame and size. He’s versatile in the way you can use him and potentially the roles he can grow into and I think he shows some real indicators that he’s got the right competitive makeup. He’s a high-end basketball player, his usage in high school suggests there’s some trust there and he appears to play really hard at receiver."
Taylor is the third receiver in Tennessee’s 2021 class, following commitments from four-star
Jordan Mosley and three-star
Walker Merrill.
Mosley, out of McGill Toolen High School in Mobile, Ala., committed back in June. The Vols added Merrill, out of Brentwood, Tenn., on March 31.
Taylor ran a laser-timed 4.86 in the 40 at a regional event for The Opening in March 2019. He had a 4.32-second shuttle time and a 28.4-inch vertical.
“Taylor looks to play a little faster than he’s run in combine settings thus far,” Power said, “and it’s worth noting he is a bigger receiver at well over 200 pounds.
“This is a nice pickup for the Vols and Taylor is a player who I think we would’ve seen continue to rise had there been a normal spring evaluation period.”