We are just 3 weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft, and I'm all but done with the Big Board. It's been a tough class and guys are rising and falling just about every couple of days. I'd make some adjustments myself if I could but Al and Nags promised to beat me up if I did, so here we are. Joseph's Gems for 2024 continues.

Part III highlights the Air Force Academy's Trey Taylor.

Trey Taylor is from Frisco, TX, and played for Lone Star High School, he was a 3-Star prospect for 24/7 and a 2-Star for Rivals.com. Before committing to the Air Force, he received offers from a robust 22 schools, including the entire Ivy League, Liberty, Army, New Mexico State, and North Texas. While at Lone Star, he was named All-State his Junior and Senior seasons while claiming the record for most interceptions in a season with seven. If the Lone Star sounds familiar, Chiefs LB and Super Bowl Champion Nick Bolton and Broncos WR Marvin Mims are part of their recent claim to fame. Speaking of fame, Taylor is the cousin of Hall of Fame Safety Ed Reed.

Taylor aligned at both safety spots for the Falcons and even manned the slot, starting 30+ games in three years. A former RB in high school, Taylor understands angles of pursuit very well, which leaps off the tape as he's a terror when aligned in the box. His RB experience also explains his natural ball skills after having back-to-back seasons of multiple interceptions and pass breakups. Taylor was the "Star" of the Air Force defense, as he was consistently asked to guard or shade toward the offense's best weapon, and he performed admirably, allowing a 47.0 passer rating when targeted and an 87.2 rating in coverage this past season(per PFF). For his exploits, Taylor was named the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award winner, given to the Nation's Best Defensive Back (Take that Booper DillyJean!!!!). Taylor didn't stop there, as he was awarded the Defender of the Year Award, given to the Most Outstanding Player from the Service Academies, and the Pat Tillman Award for standing out at the 2024 Shrine Bowl.

Where does Taylor fall in this year's safety class? Welp, it depends on who you ask. There's a guy...who shall not be named, who is absolutely the best in this year's class. Unfortunately, some people....well, a lot of you actually, keep mistaking this person for a cornerback. Listen, folks, I don't care who you vote for this fall, but make sure they promise free comprehensive eye exams for all Americans. You all need help. Anyways...the disappointing Combine/Pro Day performances of Tyler Nubin and Kamren Kinchens have sent the league reeling. There are a couple of guys left who I MIGHT label premium (but you won't ever hear those words come out my mouth), but they have limitations as well to their game. So Trey Taylor, who does have some occasional lapses with run discipline and concerns with play strength himself, might yet still find himself somewhere between Top 5 and Top 10 for this year's class. If I had to put an exact range on it, I'd probably say between the #4 and #6 safety in this year's class. What works for Trey in his favor is that he can play the free or the strong safety spot. But what exponentially raises his value is his ability to play the nickel. There are MAYBE only about two, maybe three other safeties who can do that very well in this year's class: USC's Calen Bullock, WSU's Jaden Hicks, and UGA's Javon Bullard. In short, Trey Taylor is the perfect candidate for a 4-2-5 scheme where you may ask your secondary to do a variety of different things depending on down and distance plus personnel; which is what new Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley will be asking of this defense in 2024.

So with that being said, is Trey Taylor a Gem? We're going to find out, but in case some of you guys are first-time readers, let's go over "What's a Gem"?

Size - Adequate height and weight for the position (Within my parameters but with historical precedents, more on that later)

RAS - Must be able to compete at the NFL Level

Production - Gotta be a stat sheet stuffer. 

Competition - Power 5 vs Group of 5 vs FCS and below, it matters. 

Gems have to check at least 3 out of 4 of those boxes. If a player checks all 4, consider him SOLID GOLD as Certified by your favorite "GM-ologist" (Get it?)

SIZE

At the Air Force's Pro Day, Taylor checked in at 6'0 and 213 lbs, an increase from his previous weight of 205. He measured at 9 1/2 in hands and 31 3/4 in arms, just a tad bit short but not too much. The arm length might explain his inability to shed blocks. He still is solidly in the mold of an NFL Defensive Back. Check.

RAS

At the Air Force Pro Day, Taylor confessed that he felt he should have run faster. I agree with that. Based on the tape, Taylor's sideline-to-sideline range suggests 4.46-4.48 speed. If we take that estimation he's probably be roughly around a 9.86 RAS than the 9.71 he posted. We're arguing semantics, as the agility grade confirms he can line up in the slot where twitchier receivers might be and the vertical verifies he can challenge tight ends. He should have no issue covering in the NFL. While there are concerns from the tape about his play strength, had he done 22 reps on the bench at the Combine it would have been best amongst all DBs. Perhaps that explains the jump from 205 to 213; which might also explain the slower 40, 20, and 10. If he can regain that speed and explosion, Taylor will be an entire problem. His pro comp? Adrian Amos. Double Check.

Production

As a Fifth-Year Senior across three years, Taylor has 6 interceptions, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and over 150 tackles. He was respected in the Mountain West and wasn't routinely tested. Triple Check.

Competition 

This is where Taylor will get knocked on, the Mountain West, which has its fair share of NFL prospects here and there, will likely never be considered a premium field for NFL talent. Air Force going against Army and Navy every year with their Triple-Option offenses doesn't lend much work for a safety either. Until Boise State gets itself back together, or perhaps Colorado State sees a resurgence with renewed interest in the CU-CSU rivalry, Air Force will run away with the MWC almost every year. No Check.

Certification

Size? Check

RAS? Check

Production? Check

Level of Competiton? Nah

Based on my findings, I certify Air Force's Trey Taylor as a GEM who should be a priority selection in the 4th Round!!!!

Would the Packers be interested?

Trey Taylor spoke with 31 teams during the week of the Shrine Bowl. There were 7 teams that he especially said took a deep dive with him: the Bears, Commanders, Panthers, Saints, Raiders, Buccaneers, and the Packers. So it's relatively safe to say that General Manager Brian Gutekunst has Taylor on his board and will be looking to make the selection based on how the draft unfurls. Given that all but one team met with Taylor, it could also be considered safe to say he might get "over-drafted". I'm sticking to my valuation of him as a 4th Rounder, but I would not be surprised if he got selected on the back end of Day 2, simply because a team didn't want to risk him getting snatched up early on Day 3. Once again, the ability to play BOTH safety spots AND the nickel cannot be overstated. Plus being named the Nation's Top DB (over some dude in a cornfield) speaks volumes too.

Plenty of guys to pick over still. Gems will be right back with another prospect in this 2024 series.

#GPG