Drafting Taylor Mays in the second round was an exceptional pick in my opinion. He is a great value at this spot, and will help the secondary of the 49ers immediately.
If Taylor Mays would have left college for the NFL last season, he would of been on the top 10 player on all Big Boards. So he probably would have been a top 10 pick as well. He has all the physical tools necessary to be an elite safety in the NFL. Depending on who's stopwatch you were watching, Mays ran between 4.24 - 4.4 40-yard dash at the combine. That is incredible considering he is 6'3", and 230 pounds. Speed, size, aggressiveness are all part of Mays' game.
Statistically last season was the best year that Taylor Mays had, so it is hard to believe the declined so many draft spots. The one knock on Taylor Mays is that he's not great instinctively, and doesn't make enough interceptions. In his 4-year career at USC, he only recorded 5 interceptions. However, last season at USC, Mays was forced to be responsible for covering more ground than he should have. This happens simply because in USC had a young defense that wasn't all-around as good as it has been. Taylor Mays -- or the 49ers -- do not play that style of football.
Mike Singletary wants his players to hit people in the mouth. There is no question that with the speed, and strength possesed by Mays that he will punish opposing players. He is a hard hitting safety, and fits the mold designed by Singletary perfectly. He can cover well enough, and is terrific in the box. Adding him with the existing cornerback combo of Walt Harris / Nate Clements will help the 49ers with their already great run stopping defense.
Mays has blamed his ex-coach Pete Carroll for dropping down in this year's draft class. Now with Pete Carroll in the NFC West, Taylor Mays will definitely play with a chip on his shoulder, and will go out to prove Pete Carroll wrong. MAys is a perfect fit, and was still widely considered a 1st round draft pick. He was a great value in the draft.
Underneath this is a video of Taylor Mays highlights I have found on Youtube. This is the first time I have done this, please tell me if you like this.
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