Tory Taylor’s resilience, excellence will get him drafted into the NFL
On most football teams, punters are afterthoughts. Not at Iowa.
Tory Taylor owns every punting record at the University of Iowa along with the NCAA single season yardage record.
From ‘MVP’ chants to a mantra synonymous with Iowa football, Tory Taylor leaves an unmatchable legacy, and he’ll most likely be the first punter off the board in the NFL draft.
“Quite a bit of calls on the guy – moreso what he’s been like as a person,” special teams coordinator LeVar Woods said. “You watch the tape, you watch him work out at the combine – everything I’ve heard has been nothing but positive.”
Taylor’s journey to becoming an Iowa Hawkeye was one of resilience. Coming to a different continent, a different country and a state he had no familiarity with.
“You go back three or four years and I wasn’t even punting a ball,” Taylor said. “To be at the combine working with the best of the best is a pretty special moment for sure.”
“People will always talk about like, ‘as long as you’re working hard blah blah.’ Everyone’s working hard. Are you willing to put yourself out of your comfort zone? … I’ve really enjoyed my time at Iowa and am really grateful for the experience for sure.”
Punting will win games at Iowa, and special teams excellence won’t carry the same weight when it comes to measuring great players. The highest a punter has been selected in the NFL draft was Bryan Anger — who was selected 70th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007.
Taylor will likely hear his name called on the third day of the draft. What will give him an edge in my opinion is the ability to kick in cold, wet and windy conditions.
“It’s funny, I watched a few of the SEC games and they all play in like 85 degree weather with not a breath of wind,” Taylor said after Iowa’s win over Wisconsin. “They’re hitting good balls but you find your true potential playing in these games.”
I’ll slot Taylor going to the Chicago Bears with their fourth round draft pick. They hope not to use Taylor as much as the Hawkeyes did, but the fan favorite and special teams star will shine in the midwest furthermore.
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