Alontae Taylor lights up when talking about Vols reunion with New Orleans Saints

Former Tennessee Volunteer Alontae Taylor was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the No. 49 overall selection in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. In joining the Saints, he’ll be joining a franchise with a number of former Vols’ players. When asked about reuniting with some fellow Tennessee alumni, he couldn’t contain his excitement with an ear-to-ear smile. In a recent interview he mentioned a number of former Vols that he spoke with throughout the draft process.

“Bryce Thompson, Marquez Callaway, Alvin Kamara, Jacques Smith–those guys. I talked to Bryce [Thompson] throughout the entire process. Bryce just told me, stay humble. Just know wherever I get drafted I gotta come in and work. It feels good to have teammates like Bryce,” Taylor said.

The Saints are banking on Taylor to come in and give their secondary a boost. After playing a pivotal role throughout his time in Knoxville, the former Volunteers defensive back will be expected to do the same in his NFL career.

That’s why the Saints took him off the board in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Friday night.

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 possess 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.’”

A former four-star recruit in the class of 2018, Taylor was the No. 20 cornerback in the nation per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. The former Tennessee star played his high school football at Coffee County Central in Manchester, Tennessee. Additionally, Taylor was the fourth-ranked recruit in Tennessee coming out of high school, and the No. 136 overall recruit in the nation, according to On3’s 2018 Consensus Top Football Recruits.

What NFL draft analysts are saying about Alontae Taylor

Furthermore, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com broke down what Alontae Taylor can bring to the NFL in his recent scout of the defensive back’s draft profile. The analyst compared the Tennessee product to Isaac Yiadom, the No. 99 overall selection of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos out of Boston College.

In his career thus far, Yiadom has amassed 114 total tackles, 12 pass deflections and one interception. After spending the first two seasons of his career with the Broncos, Yiadom played for the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers, and signed a deal with the Houston Texans for the upcoming season.

“Long-limbed cornerback with the size and top-end speed for bump-and-run duties on bigger targets,” wrote Zierlein. “He also has the length and anticipation for teams emphasizing Cover 2/Cover 3. He’s confident and feisty but allows separation from off-man coverage due to his high-cut frame and leggy transitions. He does a nice job of reading quarterbacks and making his way to the throw but his burst to close is slightly below average and might offer limited pass-breakup production.

“Taylor is a dependable backup with eventual starting potential whose special teams talent could push him ahead of similar cornerbacks.”

On3’s Stephen Samra also contributed to this article.