Raymon Taylor

Name: Raymon Taylor

Location: Highland Park, MI

Position: DB

Ratings: ESPN – 3* (77), Scout – 3*, Rivals 4*

Recruitment: Taylor has been a lifelong UM fan, but committed to Indiana fairly early on after not receiving much interest from the Wolverines. Towards the end of his senior season he decommitted from the Hoosiers after Bill Lynch was let go, and subsequently received a scholarship offer from Rich Rodriguez. Taylor made it clear how much the offer meant to him, and from then on it was obvious what school he would end up at; even after the departure of RR, he was still a Michigan lean. He committed to Michigan two weekends before signing day whilst on his official visit.

Offers: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Toledo.

Stats: Currently weighs around 170lbs at 5’10-11. As a senior he made 43 tackles along with 5 interceptions. He also had over 1000 yards of offense, with 14 TD’s. Has run a 4.43 forty yard dash, but says he expects to go sub 4.4 this summer with his sprint coach.

ESPN Analysis: Taylor has been employed as an athlete on this roster due to his versatility, speed and ball skills. He is a feisty, tough prospect that we feel has the most upside to be a cornerback at the next level with experience as a return specialist as well.

Needs to add some bulk before college, but plays big and likes to get in the face of the WR. Has adequate hips and shows good balance when mirroring routes; has the speed to stay with receivers. Has burst out of his cuts, and possesses very good closing speed when driving on the ball in front of him. He’s a playmaker on defense, showing excellent ball skills and a leaping ability which will help him when he goes up against bigger college receivers. He plays with a mean streak and is quite effective in run support despite his size; wraps up well and rarely misses open field tackles.

From the man himself: “I’m very aggressive and have great ball skills. I make plays and change games; but I want to get bigger and add more bulk and muscle.”

Improvements: Bulking up is the standard for CB’s in this class, but unlike most of the others he already possesses great speed; so that's isn't an issue

Film Highlights: Link here.

Final Thoughts: This is a good pickup for Michigan’s class. I know we have a lot of CB’s, but Taylor has the upside of possibly switching to Free Safety. He’d need to add a lot of muscle, but according to his evaluation he has the speed and tackling ability (along with a bit of a mean streak) needed to play FS. Either way he’s heading for a redshirt though.