Phil Taylor (American football)
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Phillip Eugene Taylor Sr. (born April 7, 1988) is a former American football nose tackle. He was drafted in the first round of the
2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
by the Cleveland Browns. He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
and Baylor.


High school career

A native of Clinton, Maryland, Taylor attended Gwynn Park High School, where he was a two-way lineman for head coach Dan Hayes. In his junior year, he was credited with 30 pancake blocks along offensive line. As a senior, he registered 77 tackles with 10 sacks, earning first-team all-state and '' Washington Post'' first-team all-metro honors. Regarded as a four-star recruit by '' Rivals.com'', Taylor was ranked as the No. 11 defensive tackle in the nation, in a class highlighted by
Gerald McCoy Gerald Keith McCoy Jr. (born February 25, 1988) is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he earned consensus All-American honors, and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ...
and Al Woods. Taylor took official visits to Maryland and
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
only, despite also holding offers by Florida, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech, among others. In January 2006, Taylor committed to Penn State.


College career

After sitting out the first half of his true freshman year at Penn State, Taylor made his collegiate debut against Michigan and went on to play the season's final seven games for the
Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...
. In his sophomore year, he sustained a knee injury during preseason drills but still managed to play 12 games on the season, starting the Nittany Lions' final five games. He was credited with 20 tackles, 12 solo efforts, with 6.5 tackles for loss resulting in loss of 26 yards. He also tallied 3.0 sacks, good for loss of 18 yards, and recovered two fumbles. His finale game for Penn State came at the
Alamo Bowl The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and ...
against Texas A&M with five-tackle performance that included one tackle for loss. In October 2007, Taylor was among several Nittany Lions involved in a brawl during a fraternity party at HUB–Robeson Center. He pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct misdemeanor, and was put on probation by Joe Paterno. In the summer of 2008, Taylor and Chris Baker were involved in a minor pool party fracas, which resulted in both being ejected from the team. Taylor eventually transferred to Baylor in September 2008 and sat out the season in compliance with NCAA Division I transfer policy. As a junior in 2009, Taylor earned his first Baylor letter, playing all 12 games and started nine. For the season, he totaled 25 tackles (2.5 for loss), an assisted sack, five QB hurries, two blocked kicks and one interception, despite battling a “turf toe” injury through the middle portion of the season. In May 2010, Taylor spent two weeks in Nairobi on a sports mission trip to Kenya with other Baylor athletes. He entered his senior year having shed almost 30 pounds, and started all 13 games at nose guard. He totaled 62 tackles (35 solo)—the most by a Baylor interior lineman since
Ethan Kelley Ethan Jeffrey Arthur Kelley (born February 12, 1980) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Baylor. High school car ...
in
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
—, seven for loss including two sacks, three QB hurries, two pass breakups and one forced fumble. In his final college career game, the Texas Bowl against Illinois, Taylor had a career-high 10 tackles.


Professional career

For his physical abilities, Taylor was projected a safe first-round selection in the
2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
. He was drafted 21st overall by the Cleveland Browns. Taylor was the highest-selected Baylor defensive tackle since Daryl Gardener in
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
.


Cleveland Browns

After a four-day holdout, Taylor signed a four-year contract worth $8.1 million. During his rookie season, Taylor started every game and finished the season with 59 tackles, 4 sacks, and a forced fumble. Taylor was a major standout in his rookie season, outperforming higher picks of the same position such as Nick Fairley and Corey Liuget. In 2011, Taylor enjoyed his best season where he had 59 tackles and four sacks. Taylor was also selected to the '' Pro Football Weekly'' All-Rookie team of 2011, with teammate
Jabaal Sheard Jabaal Lamar Sheard (born May 10, 1989) is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football for the University of Pittsburgh, and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He ...
. On September 1, 2015, the Browns released Taylor. Taylor started 42 games for the Cleveland Browns, posting seven sacks and 69 tackles.


Denver Broncos

On February 22, 2016, Taylor signed with the Denver Broncos. On July 31, 2016 Taylor was placed on
Injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
due to a knee injury suffered in training camp. He was released on August 10, 2016.


Washington Redskins

On January 6, 2017, Taylor signed a one-year contract with the Washington Redskins. In the Redskins' third preseason game, Taylor suffered a torn quad that would keep him out for the entire 2017 season. He was officially place on injured reserve on September 2, 2017. On April 3, 2018, Taylor re-signed with the Redskins. He was released prior to the 2018 regular season on September 1. On March 13, 2019, Taylor announced his retirement from the NFL.


NFL statistics


References


External links


Baylor Bears bioCleveland Browns bioWashington Redskins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Phil 1988 births Living people American football defensive tackles Penn State Nittany Lions football players Baylor Bears football players Cleveland Browns players Players of American football from Maryland People from Clinton, Maryland Denver Broncos players Washington Redskins players