Rams selected Oklahoma State S Jason Taylor II with the No. 234 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
A local product of Oklahoma City, Taylor (5’11/204) accepted his only Power Five offer to Oklahoma State and worked his way up the depth chart to become a starter in 2021 for a top-notch OSU defense that allowed just 18.1 PPG and 210 passing yards per game. His best season was 2022 though, posting 99 tackles, 13 PBU, and a B12 leading six interceptions en route to being named First Team All-Big 12. An explosive athlete, Taylor ran a 4.50s 40 (90th%) and a blazing 1.48s 10-yard split (99th%) to go with a 43” vert, which was the second highest vertical jump at the combine (99.9th%), and an 8.91 RAS. A ball-hawking closer who played more free safety last year than ever before, Taylor has a well-developed sense of his responsibilities and is disciplined when he triggers, never committing a single penalty in his collegiate career. Since he has a playmaker mentality, he can get his hand caught in the cookie jar by talented quarterbacks who know how to manipulate deep safeties with their eyes. Taylor only allowed a 55% completion rate last year and has the long-speed to stave off deep-middle shots. Taylor has a profile that is reminiscent of Penn State S Jordan Lucas.
