With the 34th pick in the fifth round (177 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers have selected Louisiana Tech wide receiver Trent Taylor.
Taylor played as a true freshman in 2013 as a receiver and punt returner. The next year, he was used more on offense and had 64 catches for 834 yards and nine touchdowns. Taylor was a first-team all-conference pick as the team's leading receiver during his junior year when he caught 99 passes for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns. As a senior, he was once again first-team all-conference following his 136 catches for 1,803 yards and 12 touchdowns through 14 games. His reception total ranked second to East Carolina wide receiver Zay Jones' record-breaking 158 catches.
Pro Football Focus stats to know: Averaged 3.28 yards per route run out of the slot, ranked second in the nation among all slot receivers.
Lance Zierlein of NFL Media had the following to say in his scouting report:
"High-volume target with great hands and an ability to punch well above his weight class in the toughness department. Taylor's production is impressive, but his size and lack of explosive punt return talent could make his path to an NFL roster challenging."
Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst had the following to say in his scouting report:
"Taylor is a smart, tough and resilient receiver who will do well lining up in the slot, being used on receiver screen passes and as a return specialist at the next level."
Pro Football Focus had the following to say in their draft analysis:
"While Taylor isn't getting as much hype as his teammate (Henderson), he's still an effective receiver who should find a place in the NFL. He'll never be anything more than a slot receiver, but that's a very important position in today's NFL. Taylor is extremely quick with strong hands, and knows how to read a defense and find openings. He's a guy that plays with a chip on his shoulder that will motivate him against bigger NFL athletes. He should be able to contribute as a slot receiver fairly quickly."
Measurables
Height: 5-8
Weight: 181 lbs.
Arm length: 28 3/4 inches
Hand length: 8 1/4 inches
NFL Scouting Combine
40-time: 4.63 seconds
Vertical: 33 inches
Broad jump: 117 inches
3-cone drill: 6.74 seconds
Bench press: 13 reps
20-yard shuttle: 4.01 seconds
60-shuttle drill: 11.14 seconds
College Statistics
| Year | G | Rec | Yds | YPC | TD |
| 2013 | 12 | 28 | 260 | 9.3 | 2 |
| 2014 | 14 | 64 | 834 | 13.0 | 9 |
| 2015 | 13 | 99 | 1,282 | 12.9 | 9 |
| 2016 | 14 | 136 | 1,803 | 13.3 | 12 |
| Totals | 53 | 327 | 4,179 | 12.8 | 32 |
