| Taylor Thompson Scouting Report |
| Taylor Thompson - SMU (HT: 6-6 - WT: 276) |
Positives -- An absolute monster; he looks the part, has tremendous arm length and ran a stunning 4.57-40 at the SMU pro day... Great football strength; it won't show up on the bench press but Thompson has the strength that makes it very difficult to move him off the line... A surprisingly good
athlete, moves like a man 40 pounds less and makes plays that leave you speechless... Attacks the line of scrimmage like a man possessed; seems to relish the first contact between him and an offensive lineman... A very good pocket pusher; had multiple sacks from driving the offensive lineman into the quarterback... A very smart player; rarely fooled and always knows where the ball is... A lot of upside, a good coaching staff will know how to maximize his ability... Played defensive end in the 3-4, but has the tools to play in the 4-3 also; his versatility may drive him up a round or two... Recruited to SMU has a tight end but has made incredible progress on the defensive side of the ball; has also done well in tight end workouts this offseason and could go in the middle rounds if an team is convinced tight end is his NFL position.
Negatives -- Does not give maximum effort all the time, takes a lot of plays off and it shows on film... Doesn't play with the aggression that he is capable of, will try but will hold certain things back during the play... Huge questions about his mental toughness; coaches will get on him hard during his rookie year, and if he can't handle it then his NFL career will be short... Doesn't have a lot of pass rushing moves, not fast enough to be a speed rusher and his height limits his leverage on bull rushes... Not a major competitor; doesn't take games as seriously as he should and it sometimes leaves teammates out to dry when he simply doesn't feel like doing something... His love of football is also a question; is he in it for the love of the game or the paycheck?
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At SMU -- (Official School Bio) 2010: Started in all 14 games at defensive end... Named First Team Conference USA... Posted 32 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks and three QB hurries on the season... Recorded a sack for an 11-yard loss and a pass breakup against UAB... Notched 1.5 sacks against Washington State... Had five tackles against TCU... Recorded a season-high seven tackles at Navy... Notched a sack and three tackles at Tulane... Had two QB hurries and three tackles at UTEP... Posted a sack and four tackles against Marshall. 2009: Named honorable mention All-Conference USA by the league's coaches... Started all 13 games... Had 40 tackles and a team-high 5.5 sacks on the year... Had perhaps his biggest play of the season when he sacked UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe to end the final Miner scoring threat and clinch an SMU win and bowl berth... Had a season-high seven tackles at Houston... Blocked a PAT in the UAB win, a block which forced UAB to go for a two-point conversion at the end of the game - a conversion SMU stopped - as the Mustangs snapped a 17-game conference losing streak and a 15-game road losing streak. 2008: Played in nine games, starting three... Had 23 tackles on the year, including a season-best eight stops at UTEP... Had 4-tackle games against Memphis and Southern Miss.
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