Would Taylor Mays really be so bad?

Originally posted by natrone06:
I guess I will be in the minority. I would be fine with Mays in the 1st. He has rare athletic skills and I think he could easily turn into a Adrian Wilson game changer.

Um, Adrian Wilson knows how to read offenses, cover receivers, and tackle. Can't say that those are Mays' strong suits. Their comparison stops at their physical attributes and not their skills.

Originally posted by znk916:
Ok so his ball skills are pretty much zero, but then again Michael Lewis isn't exactly the greatest ballhawk either. Count me as a believer that Goldson can be our guy at FS for the future, which means we could use someone to take over at SS.

Where is his value now? Mid first late first? 2nd?

Dude I watched the senior bowl practice yesterday and the guy looked lost in coverage now why would we take a chance on a player like that? Maybe maybe in free agency after the draft!

Yes he would really be so bad.

The talk by some is that he is so stiff that he is going to need to transition to LB. And, that is truly a draft killer.

As I stated last year, guys that are 230+pounds are simply not designed to play effectively at safety in the NFL. Even Sean Taylor realized that and lost more than a dozen pounds towards the last couple years before he was killed.

In project Mays outside the first round at this point, and even with a studly combine, which will surely happen, I believe the skeptics far outweigh those who would pull the trigger in the first round.

I hope this puts an end to all of this Taylor Mays talk...

Senior Bowl: Is Mays a fit for 49ers?
My name is Matt Barrows, and I watch the NFL Network all day long so you don't have to ...

Today's South practice coverage focused a lot on USC safety Taylor Mays, who is getting mixed reviews in Mobile. As far as the 49ers are concerned, my thoughts about Mays are as follows: If the 49ers were going to spend a first-round pick on a safety, I think they'd rather find one who can do everything - cover like a cornerback, make interceptions and deliver hits in the running game. It appears as if Mays only does one of those things well. It's true that the 49ers might need to find a replacement for Michael Lewis and that Lewis also is limited in coverage. It just seems to me that if you take cover skills out of the equation, there are other guys - Kam Chancellor, T.J. Ward, etc. - the 49ers could take later in the draft.

Mays is a replacement for Lewis NOT an improvement

Originally posted by eastbay49er:
Darnell Bing!

not even close...

darnell bing was productive in college!



...but the short answer to your question is YES!

WTF. Are you guys saying a great physique doesnt make a player great?

Taylor Mays isn't very good. He should be a 2nd rounder at the highest.

damn, his performance in the senior bowl has been disappointing. He's like the Vernon Davis of Safeties... muscle bound, fast, great work ethic, ultimately too stiff with poor ball skills. He seems to be more of a project physically at this point than anything, though I don't think he has a problem grasping concepts mentally. He'll probably need to lose weight to play safety or gain weight to play LB.

It seems to me that other than being fast and big, he has no football skills. Why is this guy not a third or fourth round draft pick, if even that high? I don't want him on the Niners at all .

aka killah keith

He is not as bad as he is made out to be on the WZ. Every year the WZ falls in love with one player (C.J. Spiller) and hates one player (Taylor Mays).

People just follow others around like blind sheep and say what the last person said. The prevailing view is that Mays = bad so that's what most have come to believe. But he is far from a bad player. He's actually good and quite an athlete.

Having said that we have lots of other needs on this team and I doubt we use one of our 1st rounders for him.

Originally posted by jreff22:
I dont want a SS with 0 ball skills in the first.

this

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
He is not as bad as he is made out to be on the WZ. Every year the WZ falls in love with one player (C.J. Spiller) and hates one player (Taylor Mays).

People just follow others around like blind sheep and say what the last person said. The prevailing view is that Mays = bad so that's what most have come to believe. But he is far from a bad player. He's actually good and quite an athlete.

Having said that we have lots of other needs on this team and I doubt we use one of our 1st rounders for him.

Mays is not a bad player, but I don't think he's good value anywhere near the first round. And, I've never really liked his play even when he was a darling of the board last year.

The bottom line is that he has straightline speed and is a hitter. He doesn't have solid ball skills, doesn't read and react well enough in the secondary, takes too many bad angles, and is stiff in coverage. These are basic requirements if you want a good NFL safety. His large size has been, and will continue to be, an issue. He needs to drop ten pounds or transition to LB.

I grade him as a mid-third round prospect, even though he will go much higher.

funny thing is, last year...mays was like a top 10 pick had he come out early. I wonder how he fell off so fast...it makes me wonder if they just switched defensive schemes, or if because they had matthews and maualuga last year that he could do what he does best....Hit people and fly to the ball....where as now...he has to do run support, balk hawk, watch the middle, be a safety net....

maybe the scheme just didn't fit his game? eh?

what do you guys think?