Former Buffaloes STAR backer (a hybrid defensive position that blended the roles of DB and OLB) followed his old teammate Laviska Shenault moments ago into the 2020 NFL Draft, as the Philadelphia Eagles selected him 103rd overall.

While Shenault was certainly the shining star to come out of Colorado in the 2020 Draft, Taylor had attracted much attention after a solid NFL Combine, which he followed up on campus at Colorado during the Buffs' Pro Timing Day.

At the Combine, he recorded a 40-yard dash time of 4.49 seconds and a vertical jump of 35.0 inches. His 40 time was the fastest among all Pac-12 linebackers attending the Combine and the third-best among linebackers participating in general.

But when the near-20 NFL scouts in attendance at CU's Pro Day in mid-March compared stopwatch times of Taylor's 40, it became clear that he'd produced a 4.37-4.39

Colorado defensive coordinator Tyson Summers had this to say about Taylor last November, around the time the latter had been invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl.

"For us to ask what we do of him — he’s a guy who plays a nine technique ( a speed pass rusher who lines up outside the OT and sometimes the TE), in two or three tight end sets, so he’s really playing a true SAM outside linebacker."

"We ask him to play as a STAR and cover slot receivers, which are usually the more dynamic receivers that we face each week."

"Then we put him on third down in our dime rabbits package where he maybe blitzes, maybe he spies on the (running) back, maybe playing in coverage, man or cut coverage — the volume of what he has to master from a technique standpoint is very, very high — probably more than anybody else on the entire defense."

Taylor, who was a track and football multi-athlete at Colorado, transferred to CU from Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Taylor only played two games of high school football due to his mother's strict Seventh-day Adventist beliefs which observe the Sabbath from Friday through Sunday.

He quickly developed himself in the JUCO ranks and in 2019, his senior season with the Buffaloes, he was second on the team in snaps played (738) and tackles (69) while leading the team in tackles for loss (7).

With Shenault and Taylor now drafted, eyes turn to QB Steven Montez, who might be the next Buffalo to hear his name called.

Join the conversation on Taylor at Buff Nation, the premiere message board community serving countless Colorado fanatics.