Davion Taylor

Linebacker / Colorado

Ed Hunt:  How do you feel going into your first Senior Bowl practice?

Davion Taylor:  Good.  I got to just go out there and play fast.  Not really thinking, just make plays.

Ed Hunt:  They don’t give you a lot of time.  Have you been able to pick up the playbook?

Davion Taylor:  Whenever I have a little time, I make sure I look at the playbook. If I could look at a few things, I could make sure I’m learning it.  I’m making the right checks, so when I go out there, I can just make plays and go fast.

Ed Hunt:  As a linebacker, are you a student of the game?

Davion Taylor:  I am.  If you don’t know what you are doing, you won’t make plays.

Ed Hunt:  Can you tell me about your teammate QB Steven Montez?

Davion Taylor:  It’s a great experience having a teammate here with me.  He’s a great quarterback and broke a lot of records.  He’s even a better person.  I’ve been with him for two years and I’ve seen him do some great things at Colorado.  He’s improving and hopefully he can come out here and just show the world that he can play at that next level.

Ed Hunt:  Can you tell me about your relationship with your coach Mel Tucker?

Davion Taylor:  Our relationship is great.  He helped me become the player I am right now because I improved dramatically this year.  He took the time and helped me one on one.  If I call him right now, he won’t hesitate to pick up the phone.  What I like about Coach Tucker is that he cares about his players and about us succeeding and he’ll do anything to help us succeed.

Ed Hunt:  What are your biggest strengths?

Davion Taylor:  Probably my speed and my coverage on tight ends and running backs.

Ed Hunt:  What do you want to show NFL teams here in Mobile?

Davion Taylor:  That I can be an elite player with the best of the best.

Ed Hunt:  And you played under Coach MacIntyre as well?

Davion Taylor:  Yes. 

Ed Hunt:  What can you tell me about what happened there?

Davion Taylor:  What would you like to know?

Ed Hunt:  There was a narrative that coach MacIntyre lost the locker room. 

Davion Taylor:  At the end of the day, coach MacIntyre was one the best coaches I ever had.  He recruited me for one and I appreciate him for that.  I can’t compare him to another coach because all the coaches out here are different.  With that team last year, I wouldn’t blame him at all.  It’s just they stopped caring.  They stopped caring about the team.  They stopped caring about the season.  Guys got focused on other things, and I think that’s why the season went the way it did.

Ed Hunt:  Is there a linebacker that you model your game after?

Davion Taylor:  I would say Von Miller, but I’m not nearly as good.  Not yet at least.

Ed Hunt:  Who was the hardest guy you faced in the Pac 12?

Davion Taylor:  Justin Herbert. 

Ed Hunt:  What do you think is particularly hard when you face Justin Herbert?

Davion Taylor:  We knew coming in that he was a good quarterback, but he played at an elite level.  He can run the ball.  He can pass the ball.  He has all the characteristics to be a great quarterback in the NFL and when we came out there, he showed us that.  He was just like throwing perfect passes, in little windows.  That really made him a great quarterback and made me respect him more.

Ed Hunt:  Who was the most difficult tight end that you faced?

Davion Taylor:  Probably the one from Washington #1 (Hunter Bryant).

Ed Hunt:  How do you feel that you did against him?

Davion Taylor:  I think he caught one pass on me, but he was a physical tight end and he had some crispness in his routes.  He was probably the best route running tight end I have ever seen.