3 NFL Draft prospects Antonio Pierce likely eyed at Miami’s pro day
A handful of defensive and interior offensive line prospects from ‘The U’ in this year’s draft class
With the NFL Draft about a month away, it’s no surprise that Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has been busy visiting a handful of pro days recently. On Monday, Pierce was spotted at the University of Miami and while all 32 teams were represented, Mike Cugno of CBS Miami reported that Pierce was the only head coach in South Beach.
So, let’s take a peek at who AP was likely keeping a close eye on.
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DT Leonard Taylor III
Current draft projection (via NFL Mock Draft Database): 3rd Round (ranks 99th overall)
While the Raiders have signed or re-signed a few defensive tackles in free agency, John Jenkins and Adam Butler are on one-year deals and in their 30s. So, the team could still look to spend a mid-round pick on Taylor to develop him for the future.
The former Hurricane didn’t put up impressive statistics in college, but he does have potential as a pass-rusher. In 2022, he had the second-highest pass-rush win rate (16.2 percent) among ACC defensive tackles behind only first-round pick Calijah Kancey, per Pro Football Focus. Taylor was almost as successful this past season with a win rate of 14.7 percent, fifth-best at the position in the conference.
He has a good frame, is hard to move with one-on-one blocks against the run and has shown a few pass-rush moves he can win with. His biggest flaw is his pad level, which is the primary cause of many of his issues. When the Hurricane does keep his pads down, he’s hard to block and very disruptive.
