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Stepfan Taylor | Running Back

Team: Stanford Cardinal

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Cardinals selected Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor with the No. 140 overall pick.
Taylor (5-foot-9 1/8, 214) succeeded Toby Gerhart as Stanford's bellcow back, rushing for 3,997 yards and 38 touchdowns on 787 carries (5.08 YPC) over the past three seasons. He made 97 career receptions. Despite great stats, Taylor is a poor man's Vick Ballard with pass-blocking chops but below-average run talent. He runs with a frenetic, choppy style, left too many yards on the field in college, and generally only gets what's blocked. Taylor's fullbackish 4.76 forty at the Combine ranked 27th-of-33 backs. His 1.64 ten-yard split was 26th. Taylor has the tape of a late-round pick and measurables of an undrafted free agent. He's a poor bet to beat out Rashard Mendenhall or Ryan Williams for snaps. Apr 27 - 2:26 PM

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Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

NFL Network's Charles Davis said Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor is the best pass-protection back in the draft.

"He's the best pass-protection back in the draft," Davis said. "Taylor may not wow in terms of speed. But let's say he ran a (4.7) at the combine. The thing about him is in the fourth quarter, he's still running that exact same time. Other guys who might be faster will start slowing down by the fourth quarter." We expect Taylor to be a mid-round selection.
Source: The Denver Post
Apr 17 - 6:18 PM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

The Falcons worked out Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor on Saturday.

Taylor profiles in the power running slot that Michael Turner previously held. He doesn't have the breakaway speed many covet, but Taylor has active hips and makes defenders miss at the second level. We expect him to be a third- or fourth-round pick.
Source: Tony Pauline on Twitter
Apr 8 - 8:26 AM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

Draft Insider Tony Pauline reports the Dallas Cowboys are interested in Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor.

Pauline notes that the team is looking at Taylor in the third round. Taylor has been both praised and criticized for his skill set, with many noting that he's tough and durable but lacking the explosiveness and great vision that 'backs typically have. He's a tough runner, which may be what the Cowboys need considering they can't rely on their other running backs to do it consistently.
Source: Draft Insider
Apr 2 - 4:14 PM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

NFL Films' Greg Cosell believes Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor is an "intriguing litmus test."

"Tough, durable inside grinder with no special athletic qualities," Cosell tweeted. Taylor isn't fast, but he runs hard and made defenders miss at the second level. We expect the big Stanford runner to be a third day selection.
Source: Greg Cosell on Twitter
Mar 20 - 1:38 PM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

The Sideline View's Lance Zierlein compares Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor to Ron Dayne as a running back who "takes too long to build up speed" to thrive in the pros.

Zierlein's father is a longtime NFL line coach, and Lance has connections around the league. We've also noticed his eye for talent on the NFL side and consider him a trustworthy voice. Taylor runs hard and can be a tackle breaker with a full head of steam, but his initial burst is average to below average. It's quite possible that he'll wind up being a better college than pro back.
Source: Sideline View on Twitter
Jan 17 - 11:30 AM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

Stanford senior RB Stepfan Taylor rushed for 78 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries, with six receptions for 55 yards, Friday against UCLA.

Other than a 33 yard catch and run, Taylor was more or less held in check all game. The senior has improved dramatically this season by making people miss at the second level and he looks far more comfortable in space. Expect to hear Taylor's name called on the second day of April's Draft, even if he runs slower than expected in workouts.
Sat, Dec 1, 2012 11:01:00 AM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

Stanford senior RB Stepfan Taylor rushed for 189 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries Saturday against Cal.

He added two receptions for 11 yards. Taylor has rushed for over 100 yards in all but to games this season and has really progressed as a runner from last year's tape. Expect a second-day selection to be in Taylor's future, even if he runs in the 4.6 forty range.
Sat, Oct 20, 2012 06:47:00 PM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

Stanford senior RB Stepfan Taylor rushed for 102 yards on 28 carries Saturday against Notre Dame.

Taylor was held in check for the most part by the Irish's stout defensive line and linebackers, but he did lash a couple of nice tackle breaking moves on a couple of runs. There has been plenty of talk recently of Taylor possible drawing a second-round selection, but we would advise patience in that area.
Sun, Oct 14, 2012 09:30:00 PM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

SI's Tony Pauline says the "word right now" surrounding Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor is that the senior is likely a second-round pick.

Pauline says Taylor is getting "rave reviews" in the scouting community and "many have described the senior running back to us as a big time talent." The Cardinal back started the season on a hot streak, but cooled a bit from a statistical perspective last week in the loss to Washington. Taylor has shown the willingness to work behind blocks and make tacklers miss at the second level.
Source: TFY Draft Insider
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 11:51:00 AM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

Stanford senior RB Stepfan Taylor was held to 75 rushing yards on 21 carries in Thursday's loss to Washington.

Taylor's longest run was of seven yards. The senior is not great at producing on his own, but if given some room at the second level with a head of steam, Taylor will break tackles and flashes lateral moves. In this game, Taylor was contacted quickly and failed to produce more than 3.6 yards per carry. He also added four receptions for no gain.
Fri, Sep 28, 2012 08:56:00 AM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

ESPN's Mel Kiper has moved Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor to second on his list of senior RBs.

Taylor is sandwiched between Wisconsin's Montee Ball and Clemson's Andre Ellington, and Kiper calls the Stanford senior and Ball "neck and neck". We wonder why Texas A&M's Christine Michael is not listed, but last year's injury, a new offense, and a recent one game suspension could be sufficient reasoning. Don't sleep on Fresno State's Robbie Rouse, either.
Source: ESPN
Wed, Sep 19, 2012 01:35:00 PM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

Stanford senior RB Stepfan Taylor ran for 116 yards on 26 carries in the Cardinal's close game against San Jose State on Friday.

Taylor will be featured heavily in a reloaded Stanford offense. The Cardinal lost two high draft picks along their offensive line, and obviously defense will place more people in the box without the presence of Andrew Luck. Taylor still managed to average 4.5 yards per carry and even registered a 38 yard run. He is one of the lesser known Pac-12 talents but is a consistent runner that can break tackles.
Sat, Sep 1, 2012 11:51:00 AM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor ran for a career-high 177 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 41-38 overtime loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Not only did Taylor have a career-high 177 yards, but his 35 carries marked his busiest game eclipsing the 28 totes he had against Notre Dame last season. It was only the fifth time he had as many as 20 carries this year, and in neither of the previous four did he have more than 23. Taylor finished his junior season with 1,330 rushing yards.
Tue, Jan 3, 2012 12:45:00 AM
Stepfan Taylor - RB - Cardinal

Stephan Taylor ran for 138 yards on only 10 carries in Stanford’s 65-21 win over Washington.

Taylor’s total was buoyed by a 70-yard TD run early in the second quarter that ignited a stretch of 31 unanswered points. The 138 yards mark Taylor's second best outing of the season and his fourth 100-yard game.
Sat, Oct 22, 2011 11:30:00 PM