Week 1 Recruiting Spotlight - DucksForever's Dynasty

DucksForever's Dynasty Blog

Week 1 Recruiting Spotlight

Posted on February 4, 2014 at 12:12 PM.

3* G Jordan Taylor - 6'3 264 Fort Hood, TX

The first prospect that we will highlight is the stud 3* guard from central Texas. Coming from a military family, Taylor never anticipated this level of national attention that he's receiving. His grandfather was commissioned during the war in Vietnam, and his father served in Afghanistan. He was born in Texas, but has moved across the country to places such as Oklahoma City and Lawrence.

However, Jordan found his way back to Texas where his family settled. He now attends Killeen High and he has immediately changed the athletic landscape of the town. The Kangaroos had been a doormat among Texas schools over the past decade, but Jordan's impact has been larger than he could have ever imagined.

Last year, Taylor led the Kangaroos to 6-4 record, their first winning season since the change of the century. This year, he has them undefeated and looking to win the district. As unimaginable as it is for a guard to completely change a football program, Taylor has done just that, and he has drastically risen in the eyes of scouts. He started last season ranked as a 1*/unranked prospect, but now he is a consensus 3*.

Strengths

The first thing that sticks out when scouting Taylor is his supreme athleticism. He has an obviously slight frame, but he uses this to his advantage as he simply is faster, more agile, and quicker to get to the second level than any defensive lineman across from him. He might be a better fit at left tackle in college, but that is a testament to his versatility and ability as an athlete.

He also jumps out on film as a polished pass blocker which is not as common to see in a high school guard prospect. He has extremely quick feet which allows him to combat swim moves from defensive tackles and/or defensive ends. He doesn't have the brute strength to shutdown a good bull rush, but he does a great job of using body position and leverage to make up for his physical deficiencies. His pad level allows him to establish dominance in his pass blocking.

Weaknesses

The first weakness that is easy to spot is his slight frame. He's not a big prospect in the least which is why he hasn't risen to at least a 4* on any recruiting service's board. While his technique does a great job of making scouts forget about his size, he won't be able to hide it in college. He simply doesn't have the height or bone structure to put on much more weight which limits him to a primarily zone blocking scheme or a left tackle.

Going along with this point, he is not very strong at the point of attack in the run game. He doesn't have the length to keep defensive tackles from shedding his blocks and he doesn't have the strength to drive them back. Simply put, he won't be able to play in a conference with size/strength defenders such as the SEC or B1G 10.

Prediction

There is no doubt that Taylor signs with North Texas. He has been in constant contact with Gravy, and he took an unofficial visit to North Texas over the summer. He is looking to take an official visit during the regular season. Either way, this is a recruit that North Texas definitely needs to build some talent and depth, and it's one that they should get.