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LSU's Mason Taylor a sleeper TE to watch in 2025 NFL Draft, potential rookie starter, per ESPN analysts

by:Jerit Roser•about 11 hours
NCAA Football: NCAA Senior Bowl Practice
Jan 30, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; American team tight end Mason Taylor of LSU (86) and American team defensive back Dan Jackson of Georgia (37) spar during Senior Bowl practice for the American team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

A pair of Big Ten tight ends have been widely considered the position’s top prospects in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

But ESPN draft experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates think record-setting LSU standout Mason Taylor to have a strong case as the third player off the board in the group, they said on their latest episode of their “First Draft” podcast.

Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland have been consistently projected as likely first-round selections across a wide range of outlets’ rankings and mock drafts.

But Taylor is in a conversation with Miami’s Elijah Arroyo, Texas’ Gunnar Helm and Bowling Green’s Harold Fanning Jr., among others.

“I think there’s a chance that it’s Mason Taylor, when it’s all said and done, out of LSU who had his best season as a collegiate this past year,” Yates said. “No surprise, with no Brian Thomas Jr. and, of course, Malik Nabers, he got more opportunity. He does have rare — and I’m talking rare — pedigree here does Mason Taylor. He’s the son of Jason Taylor – Pro Football Hall of Famer who was down at the Senior Bowl last week. This kid’s a house, Mel. This kid is huge. Very natural catcher of the football, and he can hold his own as a blocker as well.”

The younger Taylor played at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds this fall and caught 55 passes for 546 yards and two touchdowns — third on the team in receptions and yards and tied for fifth in scoring catches.

He finished his three-year career with 129 receptions for 1,308 and six touchdowns.

“You look at his career and it was steady,” Kiper Jr. said. “Two years with Jayden Daniels, a year with Garrett Nussmeier. Three catches to eight catches – that’s what you’d expect just about every game he played, certainly this past year. He was out there, reliable, consistent, right.”

Neither Yates or Kiper expects Taylor to slip into the first round in April, but are forecasting him as a likely second-day selection and potential early contributor to his NFL team — as he was in Baton Rouge.

“Mason Taylor probably won’t go in the first round but this guy has got a chance to be a starting tight end, though, as a rookie and play a lot of good football,” Yates said.

Added Kiper: “Mason Taylor? You know what you’re getting. Like I said, very steady, reliable,” Kiper Jr. said. “It’s a safe pick in that second, third round area.”

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