NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Mason Taylor to Dallas Goedert. Maybe the LUS product will be given the chance to be the next Goedert if the Eagles find a way to select the tight end in this spring’s draft.
Howie Roseman isn’t known for waiting until he needs a player before taking him. He loves to draft players who may have to wait their turn before a starting role develops while learning from someone at his position. Obviously, there are exceptions, such as Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean from last year’s draft.
But the Eagles general manager did it with Cam Jurgens, who sat a year behind Jason Kelce before being put at guard, next to Kelce in his second year, before finally becoming the full-time center this year. Roseman did it with Jalen Carter, who played just 48 percent of the snaps as a rookie, learning from Fletcher Cox.
And Roseman did it with Goedert, who was tutored by Zach Ertz. Maybe Goedert can be Taylor’s tutor, or another tight end the Eagles might find in the draft.
The Eagles reportedly had a formal meeting with the 6-5, 250-pound Taylor at the Combine. Goedert is 6-5, 255.
Taylor has the bloodlines Goedert doesn’t. His father is NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor and his uncle his NFL Hall of Famer Zach Thomas. Taylor was asked about his family tree.
“A lot of people say, ‘Let him have his shine,’ but I enjoy it,” he said. “He’s family, at the end of the day, so him being that role model and that leader in my life, of course me wanting to be like him and set my own way, that will happen eventually. But I’m not frustrated about it. That’s my dad. I love him and my mom and my family, and them being supportive of me.”
There is certainly no shortage of advice from his dad and uncle.
“There’s no shortcuts,” he said. “He harps on that – there’s no shortcuts and it’s straight hard work. I’ve taken it upon myself to work hard, no matter what I’m doing. They both weren’t heavily recruited out of high school or college, they had to put in that hard work. My dad was pretty light, he was a light defensive end, and he had to find what he was good at to separate himself. It’s all about how hard you work.”
Taylor is a tight end who needs polish, like every prospect, but is considered an excellent pass catcher and solid blocker. In three seasons at LSU, he caught 129 catches for 1,308 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 10.1 yards per catch.
The Eagles may not be in a position to draft Taylor, however. It’s unlikely they would take him with the last pick of the first round (No. 32), and he probably wouldn’t be on the board when their next selection came up in the second round, the 64th choice overall.
To get him, the Eagles would probably have to trade out of the first round and pick up an earlier second-round selection. That’s how they got Goedert, peddling the 32nd pick and other picks to the Ravens in 2018 and getting back other picks, plus the 49th overall selection, which was used to draft Goedert.
Whatever happens, the Eagles seem to be looking for a tight end at some point in the draft.
