Tennessee football: Ranking all four Vols by most to prove at 2022 NFL Combine
Scouting Report. Defensive back. 3. 839. Pick Analysis. Manchester, Tenn.. Alontae Taylor. player
2021 stats: 2 INTs (1 TD), 1 FF, 6 PDs, 1 TFL, 60 tackles (41 solo)
Once again, Alontae Taylor is similar to Velus Jones Jr. in that as a cornerback, his ability is what you see on film. As Tennessee football’s best cover corner by far last year, Taylor’s instincts are more important than anything, so this combine is more of a chance for him to add to his draft stock going forward.
As a senior who could have come back, Taylor needs to do that. The graduate of Coffee County Central High School was a four-year starter with the Vols and proved a good bit, especially this past year, as he often times was able to shut down one side of the field. However, Taylor’s speed is a bit more relevant.
With Jones, you can see his speed with the ball in his hands. Cornerbacks need to recover, though, and hang with guys, so 40-times are more relevant. Also, he was listed at 6’0″ 195 pounds, which is fine, but corners have to cover wideouts too, so size is more relevant.
Overall, though, unless Taylor gets hurt somewhere, he’s almost certainly going to get drafted, and this combine won’t have any effect on that. His 82.7 PFF grade led everybody on defense this past year, and his best selling point was how bad UT’s pass defense was without him in the Music City Bowl against the Purdue Boilermakers.