Colorado senior STAR backer Davion Taylor plays a unique roll in the Buffs' defense, as he is asked every game to assume the hybrid role that the STAR position entails — one that blends the traditional responsibilities of a pass-rushing OLB with that of a DB.

Taylor, who is 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, has proven more than capable of handling those said responsibilities, as he's currently tied for first on the team in PBUs, while he's third in overall tackles, second in third down stops and leads Colorado with five TFLs.

Taylor's invitation to the annual Reese's Senior Bowl held in Mobile, Alabama, is evidence of him gaining traction as someone who will be receiving NFL Draft consideration next spring.

The Senior Bowl features 110 college seniors who are invited to compete against one another on two 55-man teams, the North and South squads. The two teams are led by NFL coaches — last year John Gruden of the Oakland Raiders led the North while Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers led the South.

All in all, the event is attended by many NFL coaches, scouts and executives alike and is a great chance for outgoing college seniors with NFL aspirations to show their stuff in front of a relevant crowd.

Taylor, along with CB Delrick Abrams, Jr. and QB Steven Montez, was named to the game's preseason watch list earlier this fall, while Taylor formally received and accepted his invitation to compete in the game this week.

On Tuesday, head coach Mel Tucker and Associate AD Lance Carl called him up to the coaches offices within the Champions Center and informed him he'd been invited to the Senior Bowl.

"As Davion stood there in amazement, Mel and the other staffers congratulated him," Carl said. "He thanked us, stood there reading the info for a few minutes and sauntered off. (Davion is) a fantastic young man who's got a bright future beyond football."

For Taylor, who was all smiles on Wednesday when asked about the invitation, his focus remains on the rest of Colorado's season and bettering himself individually.

“(Playing in the NFL) has always been a dream of mine," Taylor said. "I’m just going to continue to work for it. Before the Senior Bowl, I’ve still got a lot of proving to do."

While Laviska Shenault undoubtedly takes the cake for the most physically gifted athlete on Colorado's roster, it is Taylor who has quietly positioned himself to earn some NFL looks by the end of the regular season and heading into the early spring of 2020.

“The biggest thing with Davion is that he works extremely hard to get better," Tyson Summers said. "...For him to be playing at the high level that he is is a compliment to him and how hard he’s worked to understand the concepts that we have. He’s very talented, obviously. He’s taken his game to a whole new level because of that.”

Taylor's position, the STAR backer, in essence is similar to the BUFF backer role he played in Mike MacIntyre's defense.

Both positions required a combination of strength and speed in order to blend the responsibilities of an OLB and DB, but the STAR under Mel Tucker undoubtedly has forced Taylor to better his pass coverage abilities.

Dating back to August camp, Taylor spoke often about a need to up that part of his game in order to meet the demands of his position, one that OLBs coach Brian Michalowski has described as "ever changing."

Taylor has been beat before in 2019. Slot receivers, whom he regularly is tasked with keeping an eye on, have at times gotten the better of him, but at the end of the day, he has more than risen to the occasion in handling the vast list of responsibilities entrusted to him.

Taylor's aforementioned stat line 2019 is a good indicator of how he's been able to effectively balance the physical aspects of his game in linebacking situations while also holding his own as a DB.

He said he feels like his physical tools are right where they need to be while working on his coverage skills remains an ongoing desire.

“I am still trying to meet (my preseason expectations)," Taylor said. "There’s a lot of little things I need to fix — keeping my eyes on the receiver, (not) look(ing) back to the quarterback — I’ve seen myself improve dramatically and I’m still improving right now. I’m able to see myself hold receivers in games and be able to match them man on man with no help. Last year I wasn’t able to do that. I wasn’t able to cover slot receivers like I am now.”

As of late, it might be fair to say that Taylor has one of the more interesting daily practice routines with the Buffs. The last few weeks, he's split time between working with the OLBs and the DBs.

“Last week and this week, I do one period (of practice) with the OLBs because there’s more 13 and 14 personnels — focusing on tight ends and stopping the run, and then one period I go with the safeties and practice my coverage skills," he said. "It varies with the game plan and who we’re playing.”

Summers perhaps put it best in describing Taylor's laundry list of regular responsibilities with the Buffs.

"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."

It is on that final note of what Summers said, how Taylor arguably has the most complex role on the entire defense, one that requires a great deal of mental and physical acuteness, that Taylor could very well find himself as a hot NFL commodity in about six months' time.

“I feel like some teams might want to use me as a straight outside linebacker," Taylor said. "One team might want to use me straight at safety or at nickel back like I’m playing now so (this season has) given me the opportunity to just be versatile either way. I can play in coverage, play the run and I’m able to do both."

"That’ll help me at the next level because teams want linebackers now, in today’s time, that can cover with the spread. It’s really a plus.”