Jamar Taylor

Now that all the selections have been made and the draft is over, it's time to reflect. Every person has their opinions on how their team did in the draft, and they're letting them be known. The likes of Mel Kiper, Todd McShay and Mike Mayock are coming out with their analysis on how they think every team did in the draft. I would like to take a slightly more in-depth approach, so in the next week I'm going to be taking a look at each of the players Miami drafted (with the exception of Dion Jordan, as I have already said plenty on that front). I'm going to take a look at what each player does well, what they need to improve upon, and where (if at all) they fit on the current roster. Today's player is Jamar Taylor, our second round draft choice from Boise State University.

What he does well: First and foremost, Taylor has adequate speed. He was clocked at last month's Combine at 4.39 in the 40-yard dash, which is on-par with the fastest of the wide receivers. He has the speed to run with anyone, which is important, especially if you make a mistake and have to recover quickly. Another plus for Taylor is that he's a zone coverage corner. He doesn't have great man-to-man skills, but Miami plays a zone scheme, so that should not be an issue. The biggest plus in Taylor's game though is his physicality. He's not afraid to mix it up with bigger, stronger receivers and loves to come up in run support. He plays the run quite well and that is something that I find invaluable in a corner.

Where he needs to improve: The biggest thing that I think Taylor needs to improve upon is his hands. Taylor has a tendency to drop a lot of interceptions when he has to use his hands away from his body. If he can manage to work on his pass catching ability, he should be a stand-out corner in this league. Along with his hands, he has also struggled at times with his tackling ability. He's not afraid to come up in run support, but once he's there, he doesn't always wrap up and finish the tackle. His open-field tackling skills are almost certainly the reason why he was still available to us in the second round instead of being a late first prospect.

Where he fits: Taylor, despite his few deficiencies, should be in the mix to be the starting corner opposite Brent Grimes. Miami is pretty thin at corner as it is, having Nolan Carroll and Richard Marshall as the only ones battling for that position. The acquisition of Taylor will almost assuredly mean that either Carroll or Marshall will be on their way out of Miami, and neither one of them will have to be relied upon to be a starter for us anymore. Taylor is a significant upgrade for us at the position and should be a week 1 starter.

Highlight video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh39T7YQ3VY

Coming up in tomorrow's post: Dallas Thomas