Though Taylor Mays ran a forty time in the 4.3s coming out of USC in 2010, many NFL prognosticators were down on him due to stiff hips and a lack of playmaking ability. Mays runs really fast in a straight line and can lay wood when he’s locked onto a target, but he didn’t cause turnovers in college and struggles mightily in space.
The 49ers drafted Mays with the 49th overall pick three Aprils ago. They dumped him for a 2013 seventh-round pick last August. Mays is now in position to start for the Bengals.
According to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, Mays “is the guy that seems to be playing the most” with free safety Reggie Nelson on the first-team defense at Bengals OTAs.
Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer confirmed that the position is open to competition, with Robert Sands, Jeromy Miles, and rookie George Iloka all pushing Mays.
“Still got a ways to go,” Zimmer said of Mays. "[He needs] consistency. Doing things right. Discipline. Accountability. Whoever lines up there, that is what I want: accountability. Day in and day out.”
