Roderick Taylor is one of the best players from Mississippi in this recruiting cycle, and he has scholarship offers from several prominent power-conference schools, including Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU, Florida State, Texas, USC, UCLA and Georgia.
Roderick Taylor recruit scouting report: Elite guard prospect
Tom Hauck (Student Sports Photos)
Taylor is a consensus four-star offensive guard, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and one of the nation’s top 50 overall prospects. He is ranked as a top-five guard by ESPN, Scout and 247Sports, all of which regard him as a four-star recruit. Rivals projects him as an offensive tackle at the college level, ranking him eighth at that position and 73rd overall.
Taylor is 6’3, 305 and runs a 5.22 40-yard dash. In addition to potentially playing guard or tackle in college, some evaluators believe he also could end up at defensive tackle. He’s earned invites to both the 2014 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game.
You can follow him on Twitter right here.
Bud Elliott, National Recruiting Analyst: Offensive linemen are often the toughest position to evaluate other than quarterrback because so much of the evaluation is a projection. How much more agile and athletic will a fat kid be when he drops weight? Can the slimmer lineman add bulk? And if he can, will he retain his quickness and athleticism?
But with a select few linemen each year, the projection is actually very easy. Rod Taylor is one of those linemen. He is a well put together 6’3 and 300 pounds, with great athleticism for his build. Taylor has the body control characteristic of all great linemen. He plays tackle for his high school, but will most likely be a guard at the next level.
I really like Taylor’s ability to snap and roll his hips into contact, and then keep his feet moving through the block to bury his defender. Taylor also gets out of his stance quickly and can move on traps and pulls. Assuming he keeps developing physically, receives good coaching, works hard and stays healthy, he has All-American potential.
