Since the recording of NFL Draft picks and where they went to high school, St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) has been among the leaders in that very department. 37 players since 1983, according to the Sun-Sentinel, to be exact.
Tonight, they could be adding another to the long running list of players that have played down in Fort Lauderdale and ended up in the National Football League.
Enter LSU tight end Mason Taylor, who has impressed folks with his rare blend of size, speed and catching abilities. Looking at the current NFL landscape, teams are now always in search of the next Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce type of tight end.
If everything pans out for Taylor, he could be mentioned along with some of the league’s up and coming talent at the tight end position.
Since coming onto the scene at Baton Rogue, Taylor established himself as a playmaker for the Tigers playing alongside current Washington Commanders’ quarterback Jayden Daniels.
As a freshman in 2022, Taylor hauled in 38 passes for 414 yards and a couple touchdowns, earning Freshman All-SEC Team honors.
The 6-foot-5, 251-pound pass catcher continued to post respectable numbers in his following two seasons at LSU, ending his time with the Tigers catching a total of 129 passes for 1,308 yards. No tight end in program history has ever caught more than 100 passes in a college career at LSU.
In 2024, Taylor earned multiple accolades, including being named third-team All-SEC and also setting a school single-season record for a tight end with 55 catches.
Becoming more of a redzone target in the NFL could be what attracts teams to Taylor, with his ideal size and already being compared to Philadelphia Eagles’ tight end Dallas Goedert.
St. Thomas Aquinas has plenty of names that have moved on to the NFL, like Nick, Joey Bosa and Michael Irvin to name a few. It could be Taylor hearing his name late in the first round tonight, but it seems like a certainty that he will on Day 2.
Here below is NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein evaluation of Taylor heading into tonight’s draft:
Ascending tight end with plus catch talent and Hall of Fame bloodlines. With just three seasons under Taylor’s belt, more growth is expected in both his game and frame. He’s a smooth athlete with adequate acceleration and the tools to become a more effective route runner in time. He feels defenders around him and catches with sudden hands and elevated focus when needed. He can handle blocking duties on the move or in space, but in-line action will be a challenge for him. His game needs polish, but Taylor has the ability to become a higher-volume target for a team looking to upgrade at the “F” tight end spot.
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— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi
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