Alontae Taylor gives major credit to Jeremy Pruitt after being selected in 2022 NFL Draft

Thanks to former Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt, it wasn’t long before Alontae Taylor changed positions with the Volunteers. Taylor arrived in Knoxville during the spring of 2018 after starring as a receiver for Coffee County High School in Manchester, Tennessee.

By fall, Pruitt had moved him to cornerback, where Taylor became the first true freshman defensive back to start in a season opener since 2013. That turned out to be a pivotal move for both Taylor and Tennessee, as he went on become a star for the defense during his senior year this past season. That led the New Orleans Saints to select him No. 49 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft this past weekend.

At his introductory press conference with the Saints, Alontae Taylor reflected on the conversation with Jeremy Pruitt and how his position change turned out so well for him.

“It wasn’t my choice,” he said. “Coach Jeremy Pruitt saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. He always asked me how many receivers do I see in the league that are my size. Knowing my physicality, he felt like if I wanted to play in the NFL playing corner would give me the best opportunity. I thank him for seeing something I didn’t see in myself and pushing me each and every day to become the best corner that I could with the short period of time that I had going into college.”

In his four seasons with the Volunteers, Taylor proved why NFL teams were intrigued by his ability. Last season, the star cornerback helped lay a foundation for first-year Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, as the Volunteers look primed for good days ahead under their second-year coach. In 2021, Taylor accumulated 60 total tackles, six pass deflections and two interceptions in a loaded SEC.

Most importantly to New Orleans, Taylor possesses immense athletic gifts that allow him to be one of the more intriguing defensive back prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. At the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, the former Tennessee star ran a blazing 4.41 in the 40 Yard Dash, which was one of the top scores among the defensive backs group.

“Just kind of saying to myself that this is what I dreamed of,” said Taylor, via Karthik Venkataraman, regarding the NFL Draft. “I’m finally here now and I deserve it. I feel like, for the first time, I kind of sat down and was like: ‘You really worked your tail off for this. You deserve to be here, and this is where you’re supposed to be. So just take it all in and enjoy the moment and don’t let it go by too fast so that I can have a story to one day tell my kids.’”