Cooper Taylor (born April 4, 1990) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Georgia Tech before transferring to Richmond. He was selected in the fifth round by the New York Giants of the 2013 NFL draft.

Cooper Taylor
refer to caption
Taylor in 2016
No. 30
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1990-04-04) April 4, 1990 (age 34)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:229 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Atlanta (GA) Marist
College:
NFL draft:2013 / round: 5 / pick: 151
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:15
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Taylor attended Marist High School in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a two-time all-state and all-county selection and also earned three varsity letters in football in high school.[1]

College career

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Georgia Tech

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He played college football at Georgia Tech from 2008 to 2010. He was selected for the second-team All-ACC by Rivals[2] and was an honorable mention Freshmen All-America by College Football News in the 2008 season.[1]

Richmond

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After being diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, Taylor missed most of the 2009 and 2010 seasons with Georgia Tech and transferred. He spent his final two seasons at the University of Richmond. He was impressive during his time with the Spiders. In his senior season he was a selected for the First-team AP All-American, First-team Walter Camp All-America, First-team The Sports Network All-American, Second-team All-American by Phil Steele[3] and the Second-team All-American by Beyond College Sports First-team All-CAA, the First-team VaSID All-State, College Sports Madness First-team All-CAA, the First-team Capital One Academic All-American and was the selection of the CoSIDA Academic All-District.[1] He also was selected for The Touchdown Club of Richmond Division I National Defensive Back of the Year.[4] Following the conclusion of his senior season, Taylor was selected to and participated in the 2013 East-West Shrine Game as a member on the East team.[5] On February 19, 2013, he was selected as the CAA Football Scholar Athlete Of The Year.[6]

Professional career

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Taylor in 2016
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+34 in
(1.95 m)
228 lb
(103 kg)
4.49 s 1.60 s 2.63 s 4.29 s 6.96 s 36+12 in
(0.93 m)
10 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)
23 reps
All values from NFL Combine.[7][8]

Before the draft, Taylor impressed scouts during his performance in the East-West Shrine Game. His large frame (6'5", 228 pounds) and athleticism drew many comparisons to Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor. Taylor was eventually selected in the fifth round (152nd overall) in the 2013 NFL draft by the New York Giants.[9] On October 20, 2015, he was waived by the Giants.[10] On November 4, 2015, he was signed to the practice squad. On November 18, 2015, Taylor was promoted to the active roster. On August 30, 2016, he was waived by the Giants.[11]

Personal life

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Taylor is the son of former Georgia Tech quarterback Jim Bob Taylor who was drafted in the 11th round in the 1983 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts, where he spent his only NFL season in 1983.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Richmond Spiders profile". richmondspiders.com.
  2. ^ "2008 Rivals.com All-ACC Team". rivals.com. Retrieved December 11, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Three Spiders Named All-America By Phil Steele". richmondspiders.com. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  4. ^ "Richmond's Taylor Earns Another All-America Honor". richmondspiders.com. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  5. ^ "2013 East-West Shrine Game rosters". nfl.com. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  6. ^ "Taylor Named CAA Football Scholar Athlete Of The Year". richmondspiders.com. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  7. ^ "NFL Events: Draft Profiles - Cooper Taylor". NFL.com.
  8. ^ "Richmond SS Cooper Taylor: 2013 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com.
  9. ^ "2013 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  10. ^ Eisen, Michael (October 21, 2015). "Giants sign CB Leon McFadden; make practice squad changes". Giants.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  11. ^ Eisen, Michael (August 30, 2016). "Giants announce first round of roster cuts". Giants.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017.
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