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A little bit of a different one this week. No one wants to read a whole long article on TJ Edwards and Davion Taylor. So, I decided to combine the two of them and do two shorter reviews for the purpose of this article! Full disclaimer, as many of you know if you follow me on Twitter or have read my stuff for a while, these are both players that I really have not been a fan of. Davion Taylor in particular, was a draft pick that I absolutely hated. I also didn’t think TJ Edwards would have the athleticism to ever be more than a backup linebacker. However, I am obviously always open to changing my opinions and I think I did on TJ Edwards last season. I am interested to focus on Davion Taylor too for this article, so let’s get into it!
Stats
All stats taken from PFF and only includes linebackers with 20% of the snaps which is 95 total.
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TJ Edwards
Strengths
+ Does a good job avoiding contact with lineman to get to the running back, faster than you would think for a UDFA.
TJ Edwards is a man against the run downhill. Edwards/Taylor was the package largely against base. pic.twitter.com/ttNBgDnGtr
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 12, 2021
We saw more Edwards/Singleton together with Eric Wilson being out and this is without a doubt my favourite LB combo at the moment. Taylor has athleticism but these two both have pretty solid instincts. Edwards has a real knack for getting off blocks. Both of them had good games. pic.twitter.com/xtP4RU66zw
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 3, 2021
TJ Edwards... beats the block, gets to the edge, stops the 1st down on 4th down. Wow! Also, I know he's playing less but credit to Singleton. Check out the closing speed and willingness to make this play. The Eagles are playing the run a lot better since the first couple of weeks pic.twitter.com/kv53QTxiFj
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 9, 2021
+ Really good against the run. Can play sideline to sideline and always has an eye on the running back. Great tackling technique too, rarely seems to miss a tackle.
TJ Edwards... can play sideline to sideline now? He looked awesome on Sunday against the run and even started to show some range on plays like this! For a UDFA who was limited athletically he's looking pretty good right now. pic.twitter.com/ZY1hxNhC1v
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 9, 2021
Seriously look at TJ Edwards on this play?? Diagnose quick, flat out juke the guard, get to the edge and make the tackle. This guy put on a show against the run. I really did not think he had this in him athletically. Fair play, proved me wrong! pic.twitter.com/mszgH9rk0m
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 9, 2021
+ Instinctive and aggressive downhill, does a good job getting out to screens, wide receiver reverses etc.
TJ Edwards & Maddox.. take a bow. This is so so much more aggressive than we saw last week! Look at Edwards FLY towards the ball here... pic.twitter.com/Fuvg9Fr3gf
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 2, 2021
I think one of my favorite things about good defenses is how they swarm to the ball. High effort, high energy, consistently. Eagles D have played like this for a few weeks now! Look at the number around the ball carrier. pic.twitter.com/25SIOXYLe7
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 30, 2021
+ Has the strength to take on lineman and too strong for most backs and tight ends.
No more TJ Edwards clips... final one. I promise. Here he is just BLOWING up the fullback and then tackling the running back. My word. pic.twitter.com/LMhackskHZ
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 9, 2021
Weaknesses
- He’s extremely aggressive and that means he can get caught out by play-action or fakes
TJ Edwards was great this week & has been far more aggressive downhill recently. So guess what good offenses do? Take advantage! Look at the FB fake a lead block (knowing Edwards is keying off him) and then release to flat. Sometimes you have to say fair play... love this call. pic.twitter.com/z7Aze6SICe
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 9, 2021
- Limited athletically and not a guy you want out in space or lining up in coverage. Will struggle in man coverage and not great in zone coverage either.
Eagles All22 Defense thread v. Washington. TJ Edwards is outstanding in the box. He's had a good year. But every so often his athletic limitations show up, especially in space, and you remember the Eagles can still upgrade here. pic.twitter.com/KFkIooLwm1
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 23, 2021
Overall
TJ Edwards is somebody I was completely wrong about. I saw the ability to play the run but I thought he was simply too limited athletically to hold up as a starting linebacker. But he has proven to be an average/good starting linebacker which is very impressive for a UDFA. I still don’t think he’s a great fit for the modern pass-happy NFL but you still need good quality linebackers who can play the run. I expect TJ Edwards to play less snaps next year but I still expect him to have a key role on base downs. I imagine Kyzir White and Nakobe Dean to play a lot in nickel but I wouldn’t count out TJ Edwards, I think he will continue to play quite a big role for the Eagles in 2022.
Davion Taylor
Strengths
+ Very good athlete who can get around the field extremely quickly. Has the speed and quickness to get sideline to sideline.
Eagles also liked going with a 5-2-4 with Edwards/Taylor against certain formations. Here you can see Taylor slip but he has the speed to react and cover ground quickly. Will be interesting to see if his role becomes larger in the future. Also, notice the safety come up late. pic.twitter.com/tiDvkIH4jy
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 12, 2021
Look at the HUSTLE from Davion Taylor hawking down Lamar Jackson.
— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) October 19, 2020
Gerry would’ve ran to the parking lot. pic.twitter.com/JwJ5CTTuDB
Davion Taylor running down CJ Verdell 70 yards pic.twitter.com/XTiwf3Zi4U
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) February 17, 2020
+ Showed the ability at times last year to get off blocks and make tackles in the running game. This was something he struggled with in college.
I can't remember seeing Taylor shed a block and make a good tackle much before (including his college tape) so this is a pretty good sign. pic.twitter.com/vjJ3haEVUh
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 12, 2021
Davion Taylor has had his struggles, but this play is kinda nuts. Bench presses the center to the ground and then is able to track down the RB pic.twitter.com/fKP8yKJv1g
— Nick (@PhillyNick100) October 21, 2021
+ Has the profile and athleticism to be able to be strong in coverage. Should be able to deal with tight ends and even bigger receivers. Not shown this hugely on tape.
Great recognition and then click and close by Davion Taylor. pic.twitter.com/1yrqUe908p
— Shane Haff (@HAFFnHAFF_TPL) November 7, 2021
Davion Taylor closing downfield is a beautiful thing to watch. pic.twitter.com/4IU57XUj2H
— Shane Haff (@HAFFnHAFF_TPL) November 14, 2021
Weaknesses
- Weak at taking on blocks still. Gets moved too frequently by lineman and tight ends.
Davion Taylor is a good athlete and shows some stuff. But if you can't lineup at LB and take on a FB then you can't be a starting LB in this league. And I'm not picking on him individually but he had a rough game. pic.twitter.com/BjkpY9xRGX
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 26, 2021
TJ Edwards is a man against the run downhill. Edwards/Taylor was the package largely against base. pic.twitter.com/ttNBgDnGtr
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 12, 2021
Same again, FB does him 1on1 but he looked a bit clueless out there this week against the run. Was not a positive performance sadly. pic.twitter.com/1eyPJ36jw0
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 26, 2021
This is the worst of the lot. The defense is so so passive. Look at the space Jacobs has when he catches it!! Everyone is just so far back. I understand the Eagles have some bad players but this is purely a philosophical approach and it just looks weak. pic.twitter.com/OCAMVCLlLC
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 26, 2021
- Has too many snaps where he looks lost or in the wrong place. Not an instinctive player and doesn’t have the reactions that a starting linebacker needs. Came from a strange college system where he didn’t play a traditional linebacker role
Davion Taylor (52) out there, on the football field, reading the play, figuring out where the ball is, having a blast pic.twitter.com/jmAJnY1WqU
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) October 25, 2021
Coaching? Talent? Too many basic errors where we give up easy completions. Please don't say Gannon is just rushing 4 because he's blitzed a lot this game! But I'm guessing Taylor is supposed to drop into the flat to take the easy throw and he gets caught up by PA. Too easy. pic.twitter.com/PQf83HuqnU
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 9, 2021
Overall
I find Davion Taylor one of the most frustrating players on the Eagles currently. I did not like the pick at the time and whilst he has actually played better than I expected, he still doesn’t do enough for me. The athleticism and upside is obvious, but he is still too weak at the point of attack and has to become more instinctive and reactive as he gets more experienced. I expect Taylor to be on the sideline the majority of the time unless Kyzir White or Nakobe Dean get injured so he will have to work hard to make the most of his limited opportunities next season.
Final Thoughts
Comparing Davion Taylor and TJ Edwards is really interesting. They both come out about the same time and it’s easy to see why Davion Taylor was drafted in the 3rd and TJ Edwards went undrafted when you look at their athletic profiles from @mockdraftable.
Edwards:
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Taylor:
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However, it proves that athletic ability will only get you so far. TJ Edwards is far more instinctive and understands the position a lot better than Taylor does at this point. If Taylor reaches his ceiling, he has upside that TJ Edwards simply could only dream of. But not all athletes make great football players, I’d be willing to bet on TJ Edwards continuing to help the Eagles out more than Davion Taylor does in the future.
RELATED READING — Eagles All-22 Film Review: Nakobe Dean could prove to be a huge steal
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