OSU Holds Annual Pro Day, Jason Taylor II Improves Draft Stock
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State’s annual Pro Day has come and gone for OSU’s 11 draft-eligible football players, including All-American safety, Jason Taylor II. JTII was in attendance for the NFL Combine back in the first week of March, meaning he only did certain drills and testing in the West End Zone and Sherman Smith Indoor on Wednesday.
Taylor checked in at 5-11, 203 pounds, had 9 3/8-inch hands, 32 1/2 -inch arms and a 77 6/8-inch wing span. He didn’t participate in either the broad jump or the vertical, having posted a 10-foot-9 broad in Indianapolis, as well as the fifth-best overall vertical jump of 43-inches. The best vert in Indy was 44-inches, so four spots out of first wasn’t that far away.
“I kind of just talked with my family, talk with my agent and just figure out if these are things I need to improve on, or that’s a good time or that’s a good amount of reps. If it’s not, then do it at [OSU’s] Pro Day,” Taylor II said of his decision to do certain events at the NFL Combine and OSU’s Pro Day.
Here in the Sherman Smith Indoor, Taylor posted a 4.18 5-10-5 shuttle, as well as a 7.08 three-cone, or L drill. His shuttle time was fastest among the Cowboys who performed today and was second the L drill, behind wide receiver Braydon Johnson, who posted a blistering 6.85 time.
JTII looked very good and fluid throughout his on-the-field drills, including his pick drills. There weren’t many footballs throughout the day that didn’t find its way into Taylor’s hands.
“I feel like I could’ve done a little better, but I think I did what I was supposed to do,” Taylor II said. “Obviously, you want to be perfect, but I did what I was supposed to do and happy that I was able to do that.”
Following his on-the-field drills, Taylor told us he’s met with all 32 NFL teams multiple times and will also have various meetings with teams in the coming weeks leading up to the Draft.
“It’s once in a lifetime,” Jason Taylor II said of his draft experience. “You know, if I look back at all the things I had to do to get here, even just starting football at probably seven-years-old, and this is where I’m at now. I know this isn’t the end, but sometimes I look up and I’m like ‘blessed, wow.’”
As for Johnson, he posted solid times throughout the morning as he posted a 9-foot-11 broad jump, 37 ½-inch vertical. He was, however, unchallenged in the 40 times as he posted a 4.40 and a 4.38. We’ve known Johnson’s been one of the fast players on the Oklahoma State roster for years.
As for Tyler Lacy, he checked in heavier in Stillwater than he did when he measured at the NFL Combine. Lacy checked in at 6-4, 283 pounds, nearly 15 pounds heavier than in Indy. He also posted 40-times that were a touch faster than in Indy, posting a 5.08 and a 5.01. He also posted a 4.56 in the 5-10-5 and a 7.48 in the three cone.
Of all the Cowboys who participated, Brock Martin looked really good as he checked in a 6-1 1/2 , 240 pounds. He posted 17 reps on the bench, a 4.79 and a 4.73 in the 40, a 4.39 in the 5-10-5 and 7.22 in the three cone.
The scouts on hand had Martin not only work out at defensive end, the position he’s played since high school, but they also had him line up at outside and inside linebacker and run through the drills there, including pick drills.
The 2023 NFL Draft is being held in Kansas City, MO, this year, just outside Union Station on the plaza. The first round is on Thursday, April 27 and will conclude on Saturday, April 29.