Taylor ready for his moment
Ex-Cocoa High lineman could be NFL Draft first-round pick.
GAINESVILLE — The black ink was fresh and beaded with sweat on the left side of right tackle Jawaan Taylor’s thick 20-inch neck.
A tattoo of a five-pointed crown symbolized the aspirations of a hard-working 21-year-old hoping to become NFL royalty.
“Just a young king, just trying to make it,” the former Gator explained during UF’s Pro Day. “That’s all.”
It is more than anyone could have imagined when Taylor tipped the scale at 384 pounds as a sluggish out-of-shape junior at Cocoa High.
But Thursday night in Nashville, Taylor is expected to be crowned a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft.
The title will not have been passed down to Taylor, a former three-star recruit who underwent a remarkable metamorphosis to even earn a scholarship to UF.
“I’ve never seen a transformation like that — ever. It’s not even close,” said John Wilkinson, Taylor’s coach at Cocoa. “He put his mind to it. He wanted to be a Florida Gator. He knew what he had to do — and he did it.”
Arriving in Gainesville at 340 pounds, Taylor continued to defy expectations as he chased his dreams.
Taylor became the first true freshman since 2007 to start the opener on the Gators’ offensive line. Three seasons later, he is expected to extend UF’s streak of having a first-round pick to eight years.
“I had 35 career starts playing against some of the best competition in the country every single Saturday,” Taylor said. “I feel like that definitely prepared me for the next level.”
Once last season ended, Taylor knew he had more work to do.
Training at Pensacola’s EXOS, an athletic performance center, and honing his technique with veteran NFL offensive line coach
Bob Palcic, the 6-foot-5 Taylor arrived at the NFL Scouting Combine a lean-and-mean 312 pounds.
“With abs,” Wilkinson noted. “Six-pack abs.”
By the time he left Indianapolis, Taylor had risen on draft boards as much as any player in the 2019 class, even though a hamstring injury sidelined him for many of the drills.
Taylor did enough to showcase agility, strength — bench-pressing 225 pounds 24 times — and, most of all, a level of determination essential to endure in the NFL.
“I think the big thing is how he’s worked,” UF coach Dan Mullen observed. “Where’s that improvement? Do you look like you did at the end of the season or have you taken another step forward? And I think he continues to take steps forward, which really — I mean, if I’m an NFL coach — that’s what I want, guys that don’t think they’ve arrived.
“I want guys that are hungry and are gonna continue to work every single day.”
Taylor prides himself on his work ethic and where it has led him.
“I had my weight loss in high school and then I got to college and just wanted to better myself as a player,” he said. “I went every single day, in the film room, on the field, in the weight room, nutrition, as well. So it paid off for me.”
But Taylor also was blessed with the genetics and raised with the mentality to build himself into an NFL first-rounder.
By the time Taylor reached the eighth grade, he was 6-foot-3, 325 pounds while possessing the requisite footwork and flexibility to play offensive tackle.
Wilkinson first caught wind of Taylor when a YouTube video arrived in his inbox, accompanied with the message, “You gotta see this.”
Taylor has caught many people around the game off guard since then.
“That’s a grown man, dude. That’s a grown man,” former UF defensive end CeCe Jefferson said. “That’s the only guy I’ve almost broke my wrist with when I punched. His chest is like steel. How much does he weigh? 315 pounds? Did you see him with his shirt off? He’s got a 12-pack, man.
“Come on, now. This guy was made in a lab.”
To those who know him best, Taylor is all too human. A big — make that a gigantic — teddy bear.
Respectful and mild-mannered, Taylor is a gentle soul off the field who spends many Sundays playing drums at his church. The day after he announced his NFL intentions following the Peach Bowl, Taylor flew home to entertain his congregation.
“That’s just him,” Wilkinson said. “His family is just a super, super nice group of people. They’ve raised him the right way.”
Once the helmet goes on, Taylor plays the game the right way, flashing a mean streak a mile long.
“I play very nasty and physical,” he said with pride.
This unique mix makes Taylor a coach’s dream, a good teammate and a player few are eager to line up against. Those qualities also make Taylor a good bet to stick around awhile in the NFL, a major consideration for those making multi-million-dollar decisions.
“It’s not necessarily always the best player, it’s about, you know, we’re thinking in the future as well,” former UF left tackle Martez Ivey said. “How long is he gonna play for us? Like what he can achieve, and also the personality of this guy as well. It’s more than what everybody sees. It’s like he’s a great player, so take him. Nobody ever knows the background.
“That’s their job. They dig in. They find that. So he’s got everything in that department, and he’s also a great player.”
Many project Taylor to be drafted with the seventh pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, located a couple hours up I-95 from where Taylor grew up.
Longtime analyst Tony Pauline of draftanalyst.com said some medical red flags and past weight fluctuations could scare off a team or two, but not enough for Taylor to drop beyond the middle of the first round.
“Terrific right tackle prospect who dominates the opposition,” Pauline concluded. “Needs to improve his skills in pass protection, but if healthy, he can start at the next level for a long time.”
Taylor will be happy to just hear his name called some time Thursday night. “It’s a blessing,” he said. Taylor might not be a product of divine intervention. To Wilkinson, who will be in Nashville with his former player, Taylor is an example that, sometimes, life is fair.
“I can’t even explain it,” Wilkinson said, pausing to collect his thoughts. “You always wish the good guys, you always want them to be successful and have good things happen to him. And he’s like the epitome of a good guy that good things are happening to.”