Leonard Floyd has the first-step explosiveness, length and speed that NFL clubs prefer in pass rushers off the edge; the concern for NFL scouts on the Georgia linebacker is whether he'll have the size and power needed to go with it at the pro level. If he does, NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock thinks former Miami Dolphins star Jason Taylor makes for a good comparison on Floyd's potential.
The comp was actually made by former New England Patriots center Damien Woody, but it was one Mayock signed off on via Twitter. Mayock devoted a series of tweets to Floyd on Wednesday, in fact, noting the concerns about his ability to play a more physical style in the NFL.
Floyd didn't get much of a chance to show off his skills on Wednesday at Georgia's pro day. He contracted food poisoning, according to NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt, and was forced to cut his workout short. That meant he was unable to go through position drills, which typically come at the end of pro day workouts.
To be sure, he felt more Jason Taylor-like at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, where he ran a 4.60 40-yard dash, turned in a 39-5-inch vertical jump, and leaped 10-7 in the broad jump to entrench himself as one of the draft's most athletic pass rushers.
If Floyd is able to assemble a Taylor-like NFL career, the team that drafts him will no doubt be thrilled. Taylor played 15 pro seasons, amassing 139.5 sacks, notching double-digit sacks six times.
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