Mason Taylor: 2025 Player Profile

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Mason Taylor

Age: 20

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 251

Career Stats: 38 G/ 129 Rec/ 1,308 Yds/ 6 TD

24' Stats: 12 G / 55 Rec / 546 yds / 2 TD

College YPR: 10.4 YPR

Catch Rate: 70.66%

Arm Length: 32"

College Dominator Score: 11.5%

Athleticism Score: N/A (-)

All Time Athleticism Rank (N/A)

Combine Scores: Pro Day*

40 (4.65*) 10 YD (N/A) Vert (N/A)

NFL Next Gen Grade: 80 (Good)

FITTING THE NFL MOLD

Ideally, a TE will have a height between 6'4" and 6'6", weigh somewhere between 245 and 260 lbs, and have an arm length over 33". While blocking is a great trait to have, we want to look for TEs who have receiving upside. Therefore, the most important tests to predict success at the next level will be the 40-yard dash, the 10-yard split, and the vertical jump. We're looking for scores around 4.6-4.75 for the 40, 1.55-1.65 for the 10 yd split, and 32-36" for the vertical. Taylor has the size that teams are looking for and while he didn't compete in any of the events, he did run the 40 at his Pro Day. His time would have tied him for 2nd best in this year's class. He also put up 28 reps on bench press showing he has the strength to block as well.

COLLEGE PRODUCTION

Two huge factors that scouts are looking for at this position are: Do they have consistent hands to be a QBs safety valve and are they truly a TE or an OL or WR in disguise? Taylor has a solid career catch rate but there are tons of red flags when you look at how he did at LSU. While you can argue he had a low target share (sub 12%) the last few years due to LSU having elite receivers, that wasn't the case this year. Despite minimal competition, he only saw 15.5% of the targets and he turned the extra targets into extra incompletions with his catch rate dropping by more than 10%. YIKES!!! With his big frame you would figure he would be a frequent redzone target. He only has 6 total TDs in 3 years raising more red flags.

WATCHING THE TAPE

   Taylor's best aspect is that he isn't afraid to hit or to be hit. He is willing to put his shoulder into you to get the extra yards and fight with you on the boundary. He has decent speed and can reach his top speed fairly quickly showing a good burst. He has sloppy footwork at times which makes him particularly susceptible to shoelace tackles. If there is a catch that is a little more difficult for him, he has a tendency to go to the ground with the ball instead of trying to stay up and get some extra YAC. I believe this is directly related to his poor contact balance and rather than try to bounce off a defender and stay up, he'll just drop. He is worryingly easy to bring down for a guy his size. He's going to need to get tougher if he wants to have success at the next level.

THE LANDING SPOT

   Taylor lands with the Jets and will be competing for the starting job right out of the gates. The receiving options there aren't great so he could see a decent amount of work in his rookie season. Fields is the new Jets QB and he has a history of throwing frequently to TEs. Cole Kmet averaged 84 targets a year when he was playing with Fields. This was one of the best spots that Mason could have landed.

WHERE TO DRAFT HIM

   In redraft leagues, Taylor should likely go undrafted unless it is a strange 2 TE league. In Dynasty rookie drafts, Taylor is worth an early to mid 2nd round flyer.

Player Comp

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