Hilee Delano Taylor (born July 18, 1986) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

. He was drafted by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. He was also a member of the NFL's Detroit Lions and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

, as well as the CFL's

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in ...

Family and personal life

Taylor began playing football at the early age of 5. His father died in late December 2017.

College career

As a senior at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, Taylor led the Tar Heels and finished tied for 11th in the nation with 10.5 sacks. He also registered 16 of his 49

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

for loss and forced three fumbles.

Professional career

Taylor was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. In three seasons in Carolina, he recorded four

and one sack. After the

2011 NFL Lockout The 2011 National Football League Player lockout was a work stoppage imposed by the owners of the NFL's 32 teams that lasted from March 12, 2011, to July 25, 2011. When the owners and the NFL players, represented by the National Football League ...

ended, he was waived by the Panthers and claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions. However, he opted not to report to the Lions and retire from football. On November 9, Taylor unretired and was reinstated by the NFL. He was released by the Lions following his reinstatement. On May 6, 2012, Taylor signed with the

. On March 15, 2013, Taylor signed a two year contract with the

in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bioSaskatchewan Roughriders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Hilee 1986 births Living people People from Laurinburg, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina American football defensive ends Canadian football defensive linemen African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football North Carolina Tar Heels football players Carolina Panthers players Detroit Lions players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Saskatchewan Roughriders players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people