With the draft in it’s final round, the Raiders were looking to add some intangibles to their team. To get it, they snapped up Trey Taylor out of the Air Force Academy.
In talking with Taylor after the draft, there was no question he has a good head on his shoulders and it serves him on the football field.
“The ability to serve while playing football and while studying at one of the most prestigious schools in America, like you can’t really pass up that opportunity,” said Taylor. “So, I’m glad I landed there. And the Academy taught me a lot about myself. It taught me a lot about who I really am, the maturity I have as a person, taught me how to grow, how to spread my wings and made me the person I am today.”
Taylor won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top safety. And he did so in part by being a big hitter. Evidenced by his 205 tackles over three seasons for the Falcons. That’s the energy the Raiders want him to bring with him.
“I’m a killer on the field,” Taylor added. “I have a different instinct when I get on the field and I brought that from the Academy, and I’m hoping to bring it onto this team. And I feel like there’s a lot of people who have the same mentality on that team. So, definitely ready to go take on that identity.”
That energy will help him right away on special teams as well. As a Navy man, I can get past him choosing Air Force for school.
