Taylor Mays is coming to Cincy for a visit

[oldschooler]

Electing to stand on his much-debated 40 at the combine, Mays was solid in position drills but might have left teams wondering if he has the necessary coverage and ball skills to justify a top-32 pick.

A three-time All-American, Mays finished with just five career interceptions. He was often lined up 15 yards off the line of scrimmage, raising questions if Mays can guard slot receivers in a league that increasingly employs three or four wideouts.

“I didn’t back peddle too much on film, didn’t do too many one-on-ones and didn’t play in the slot. I just took a couple steps and ran to the ball, so showing the change of direction and ball skills is what I wanted to show,” Mays said. “These DB drills were most important to me, because that’s what I don’t show on film. They know I can run fast and hit and all that stuff, but being able to move as a bigger safety was the biggest question mark.

“In the NFL, you get paid to get interceptions. I wasn’t really coached to do that at USC,” he said.

With his former coach in Austin attending [url="http://texas.scout.com/"]Texas[/url]’ pro day, Mays admitted his pre-draft routine is the opposite of how he was treated as a top player in high school.

“Man, when I was recruited, they were loving me up and telling me everything in the world. Now, they killing me,” he said with a laugh.

Mays has meetings scheduled with the Browns on Thursday, the Chiefs on Sunday, [b]then on to Cincinnati[/b], but has not decided if he will travel to New York City for the Draft.




[u][color="#0066cc"][url="http://usc.scout.com/2/958663.html"]http://usc.scout.com/2/958663.html[/url][/color][/u]

[oldschooler]

Scouts Inc. gives Mays an overall grade of 91.

[b]90-100 Rare Prospect
[/b]Player demonstrates rare abilities and can create mismatches that have an obvious impact on the game. Is a premier college player that has all the skill to take over a game and play at a championship level. He rates in the top 5 players in the nation at his position and is considered a first round draft prospect.


They say he has average intangibles, exceptional size and speed, above average durability and exceptional production.

[bigfeet4real]

please be there at 21

[Jason]

[quote name='bigfeet4real' date='01 April 2010 - 08:30 AM' timestamp='1270128645' post='874436']
please be there at 21
[/quote]

And 22.

[oldschooler]

[quote name='Jason' date='01 April 2010 - 09:00 AM' timestamp='1270130457' post='874442']
And 22.
[/quote]


-1

[Jason]

[quote name='oldschooler' date='01 April 2010 - 09:02 AM' timestamp='1270130532' post='874443']
-1
[/quote]

We don't need a SS as much as we do a FS.

[oldschooler]

[quote name='Jason' date='01 April 2010 - 10:00 AM' timestamp='1270134056' post='874463']
We don't need a SS as much as we do a FS.
[/quote]


The dude played FS for 4 years for USC.

Just because you and a few others think he couldn't play FS in the NFL.
Does not mean he couldn't. He sure has the speed to play the position.
I mean, he IS faster than Earl Thomas, Berry and every other Safety
prospect in the draft.

But even still. Roy Williams has played 7 games in 2 years.
And Mays should be an upgrade over Ndukwe.

[Jason]

[quote name='oldschooler' date='01 April 2010 - 10:09 AM' timestamp='1270134554' post='874467']
The dude played FS for 4 years for USC.

Just because you and a few others think he couldn't play FS in the NFL.
Does not mean he couldn't. He sure has the speed to play the position.
I mean, he IS faster than Earl Thomas, Berry and every other Safety
prospect in the draft.

But even still. Roy Williams has played 7 games in 2 years.
And Mays should be an upgrade over Ndukwe.
[/quote]

He is MUCH BETTER suited to SS. He got away with playing FS in college because he was always the best athlete on the field. That won't necessarily be true in the NFL. Yeah, he might be a good FS, but he would be a much better SS.

And yes, Roy has been hurt, amd Mays would probably be better than Ndukwe. But I'm a LOT more worried about having Tom Nelson on the field than Ndukwe.

[mullichicken25]

if zimmer likes what he sees on the vist then i'd then bengals to pick him at 21

i love the IDEA of mays, with his ideal measurables, and if zim thinks the rest of his game is up to par id be pretty fuckin excited to have him on the team

[Jamie_B]

[quote name='Jason' date='01 April 2010 - 11:13 AM' timestamp='1270134834' post='874468']
He is MUCH BETTER suited to SS. He got away with playing FS in college because he was always the best athlete on the field. That won't necessarily be true in the NFL. Yeah, he might be a good FS, but he would be a much better SS.

And yes, Roy has been hurt, amd Mays would probably be better than Ndukwe. But I'm a LOT more worried about having Tom Nelson on the field than Ndukwe.
[/quote]


x2

Dont want him in the 1st, but if he "rey maualuga's" to the 2nd maybe...

[Tigris]

[quote name='Jason' date='01 April 2010 - 10:00 AM' timestamp='1270130457' post='874442']
And 22.
[/quote]

[Tigris]

[quote name='oldschooler' date='01 April 2010 - 11:09 AM' timestamp='1270134554' post='874467']
The dude played FS for 4 years for USC.

Just because you and a few others think he couldn't play FS in the NFL.
Does not mean he couldn't. He sure has the speed to play the position.
I mean, he IS faster than Earl Thomas, Berry and every other Safety
prospect in the draft.

But even still. Roy Williams has played 7 games in 2 years.
And Mays should be an upgrade over Ndukwe.
[/quote]

Do you by chance have any of the short shuttles or cone drill times Mays did at the combine? I'd like to compare those to other safeties, especially the free safeties. I just don't see Mays having good numbers in those... again, too stiff in the hips.

I could try to find them I guess, but you seem to have a knack (sp.) for digging up anything.

[Mortgage_Man_X]

[quote name='Tigris' date='01 April 2010 - 11:46 AM' timestamp='1270136815' post='874479']
Do you by chance have any of the short shuttles or cone drill times Mays did at the combine? I'd like to compare those to other safeties, especially the free safeties. I just don't see Mays having good numbers in those... again, too stiff in the hips.

I could try to find them I guess, but you seem to have a knack (sp.) for digging up anything.
[/quote]

Mays didn't run either at the combine.

[Tigris]

[quote name='Mortgage_Man_X' date='01 April 2010 - 12:16 PM' timestamp='1270138571' post='874485']
Mays didn't run either at the combine.
[/quote]

You know if he did anything like that at the pro day?

[Cricket]

[quote name='Tigris' date='01 April 2010 - 11:46 AM' timestamp='1270136815' post='874479']
Do you by chance have any of the short shuttles or cone drill times Mays did at the combine? I'd like to compare those to other safeties, especially the free safeties. I just don't see Mays having good numbers in those... again, too stiff in the hips.

I could try to find them I guess, but you seem to have a knack (sp.) for digging up anything.
[/quote]


http://www.900footballlinks.net/2010nfldraftdefense.htm

There is no time listed for him for the shuttles and 3-cone.

Same thing for Draft Board Insiders whose writeup tends to agree with Jason. http://draftboardinsider.com/cgi-bin/prospect.cgi?id=1067

[quote]
Scouting Report: Mays is a remarkable physical specimen. He's got an impressive physique, long arms, and is just a knot of muscle. Mays is also a tremendous athlete. He has impressive straightline speed and quickness and is an intimidating shadow on the football field. Also on the plus side, Mays is a devastating hitter, and is stout in run support. He's a player with a ton of experience, has played against top level competition, and has been very productive. On the other side, Mays looks completely out of sorts at time, especially in pass coverage, and alone in space. He takes poor angles to the ball, gets flipped in coverage and shows sloppy technique. His ball skills are well below average and hasn't really shown that he has much room for growth at the next level. In other words he may have tapped out his potential.

Draft Status: Some team is going to fall in love with Mays triangle numbers and draft him early. How early will depend on how soon the Oakland Raiders are drafting. Mays is a pure SS prospect, run support only, meaning a two down defensive back. That's not first round pick to me, but as I said Skeletor will see this kid run in shorts, and trade up to no.1 just to be sure they get him. In all seriousness, the shortcomings in his game should push him down but i doubt he falls out of the first round. May need to work out as a linebacker, if he wants to improve his status.

Final Analysis: I went into the season expecting big growth and development from Mays in terms of his sloppy technique in coverage, poor tackling, and just overall mediocre skill set outside of run support But it hasn't happened. And I don't know if it will happen. Seems that Mays is what he is. And that may mean he has to move to linebacker where his shortcomings in coverage would be minimized. But in order to do that he's going to have to learn to take much better angles, and become a much better form tackler.
[/quote]

[happyrid]

[quote name='oldschooler' date='01 April 2010 - 11:09 AM' timestamp='1270134554' post='874467']
The dude played FS for 4 years for USC.

Just because you and a few others think he couldn't play FS in the NFL.
Does not mean he couldn't. He sure has the speed to play the position.
I mean, he IS faster than Earl Thomas, Berry and every other Safety
prospect in the draft.

But even still. Roy Williams has played 7 games in 2 years.
And Mays should be an upgrade over Ndukwe.
[/quote]


For what its worth, there was another USC FS very similar to Mays about 5 years back. His name was Darnell Bing. Like Mays, he was a big recruit and started on a great USC team as a true freshman. He started for 3 years and then left early for the NFL draft. He was a Thorpe award finalist and received a bunch of other honors and awards during his time at USC.

He was very hyped leading up to the draft (many Bengals fans were talking about drafting him in the 1st round) but on draft day, he slid to the top of the 4th round where he was selected by the Raiders. They attempted to move him to LB because there were concerns about his coverage ability. It didn't work out and I believe he is currently out of the NFL after bouncing around for a few years.

It's not unprecedented even at USC, so to simply say "he started at USC for 4 years" as proof that he'll be able to start in the NFL is a bad argument in my opinion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darnell_Bing

[Tigris]

[quote name='happyrid' date='01 April 2010 - 12:26 PM' timestamp='1270139184' post='874489']
For what its worth, there was another USC FS very similar to Mays about 5 years back. His name was Darnell Bing. Like Mays, he was a big recruit and started on a great USC team as a true freshman. He started for 3 years and then left early for the NFL draft. He was a Thorpe award finalist and received a bunch of other honors and awards during his time at USC.

He was very hyped leading up to the draft (many Bengals fans were talking about drafting him in the 1st round) but on draft day, he slid to the top of the 4th round where he was selected by the Raiders. They attempted to move him to LB because there were concerns about his coverage ability. It didn't work out and I believe he is currently out of the NFL after bouncing around for a few years.

It's not unprecedented even at USC, so to simply say "he started at USC for 4 years" as proof that he'll be able to start in the NFL is a bad argument in my opinion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darnell_Bing
[/quote]

I remember the guy... wow, haven't heard the name for years.

[fredtoast]

[quote name='Jason' date='01 April 2010 - 11:00 AM' timestamp='1270134056' post='874463']
We don't need a SS as much as we do a FS.
[/quote]

Why are we talking about safeties. Taylor Mays is Thomas Davis v2.0. He'll be a LB in the NFL.

[The Scales]

[quote name='Jason' date='01 April 2010 - 10:00 AM' timestamp='1270130457' post='874442']
And 22.
[/quote]


Just funny.

Thank you.



[quote name='fredtoast' date='01 April 2010 - 12:41 PM' timestamp='1270140103' post='874496']
Why are we talking about safeties. Taylor Mays is Thomas Davis v2.0. He'll be a LB in the NFL.
[/quote]


Hmmm. Very well could be. Very well could be. Yes Sir. Yes . . . sir.





it seems these safteis are very important now a days. They [i]can[/i] be big time playmakers for your defense.

Fullrock. Bob Sanders. Troy Polamalu. Ed Reed. Antrel Rolle. Roy Williams. But one thing I see along with everyone is how much these guys get knocked out of games due to injury.

Roy Williams, Bob, and Troy have missed quite a bit of time over the seasons . . . Brother Ed has been for the most part has been able to avoid injury, but even the Masta Killa isn't immune.

The Safteies are your high speed blunt instrumnets they are always stiicking their face in a tackle.

They give and take a pounding.

Really.

So we look at Earl Thomas. He's 5'10 just under 200 lbs and can bring the heat in the 4.40 range.

Can his body hold up?

Is he savy enough like brother spiritual to be able to avoid the injury?




Then we look at Mays.

[oldschooler]

I am tired of arguing about Taylor Mays everyday with the same people.

Some of you want to compare him to busts, spout off crap from draft sites
and other crap.

The Bengals are bringing him in for a visit. They only get 30 such visits.
They have him on their radar. He is worthy of taking with the 21st pick.

To compare him to Darnell Bing is ridiculous. The dude ran a 4.59 forty.
And only benched pressed 225 lbs 17 times.

Thomas Davis ran a fuckin 4.6 forty. And benched 225lbs 19 times.

Roy Williams ran a 4.53 forty yard dash. And benched 225lbs 13 times.


Yeah, I can see why you all would compare them to Mays. [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons/default/29.gif[/img]

Mays is faster and stronger than those dudes were.


I like the guy and think he could be a good pro. Some of you don't and don't think he will.
Fine. We will all just have to wait and see who was right and who was wrong.

The bashing is ridiculous though.

[scharm]

Taylor Mays would be an excellent pick at 21 given the information that most fans have access to.

[bengalbutch]

I'd be thrilled to get Mays

[Abu-Zayd]

He has the size and speed to play LB, but he just does not get through traffic well or take good angles, which is a MUST for a LB.

as for safety, looking at film, he does not play like he times. i don't see it. if zimmer likes him, picks him and molds him right, i'll be happy regardless of what i think of him right now, but its a guessing game at this point based on his game film and i just don't see the measureables translating to football awareness...

with the 21st pick, i don't want an upgrade to a 7th round SS we currently play, i want a solid starter.

[alleycat]

Here are your workout #'s for the three. Berry sprained a toe and Thomas pulled a hammy in their workout (in shorts), FWIW ({and explains some incomplete #'s).

(The order of the #'s are 40, Bench, Vert, 20 split, 10 split, Broad, Short and long shuttle.

4 1 Eric Berry 6-0 211 1 4.40 19 43 2.51 1.54 10'10" 4.23 6.80
13 2 Taylor Mays 6-3 230 1 4.31 24 41 2.46 1.45 10'05" 4.30 6.95
15 2 Earl Thomas 5-10 202 1 4.43 21 -- 2.50 1.56 09'05" -- --

[Tigris]

What has Jerome Simpson taught us? DO NOT fall in love with measurables.

What has Vernon Gholston taught us? DO NOT fall in love with combine numbers.