On Friday, the youngest of the New England Patriots won praise.
New England media coach Ivan Fears said he saw nuances of Dion Lewis in undrafted rookie J.J. Taylor, who is vying for a place in his first Patriots camp.
“Little Dion, that’s what it is, ” said Fears after Practice Friday. “Little Dion. Exciting, fun. Arrangement… He has wonderful obstacles to overcome, and the child struggles to get there. We’re very happy with what we’ve noticed about him, we are. We’ll see how far he can go.” Put it on. “
Taylor measured five feet five 2/8 inches in the NFL Scouting Combine. The Patriots list it in five feet and six inches. Lewis, a highly productive double risk to New England from 201-5 to 2017, has a generous five-8 rating.
The fact that Taylor has lately wears No. 72, thanks to the Patriots’ approach of retaining the right jersey numbers for the rookie position until his first game, makes him seem even smaller.
Fears also sees a lot of Lewis in Taylor’s taste for the game.
“Did you see him there?” asked the coach. “Same speed, even abruptness. He’s a great enthusiast, the guy has a wonderful vision. Ah, a lot of smart (words) things about him. You have to be informed to play bigger than your size.”
Taylor has more potential defenders than the ultimate undrafted patriots in recent years, most of whom are little more than shooting horses before being eliminated, and a realistic path to a place on the list with Brandon Bolden retiring from the season and Sony Michel and Lamar Miller both. . Damaged.
However, Arizona’s product has experienced expansion difficulties so far. His ball protection was not excellent, either in attack or on the return, and dropped several passes in the team’s exercises.
“With the arrival of a freshman,” Fears said, “there are a lot of things you have to be informed about and a lot you want to improve on.”
Taylor ran for 1,434 yards and six touchdowns with a career clip consistent with a 5.6-yard career as a red sophomore in 2018. His hasty production fell in 2019 (721 yards, 4.9 carries in 11 games), however, he set his career records with 32 receptions for 289 yards. He has also been Arizona’s top backup player in his last two college seasons, a who averaged 24.1 yards consistent with the return with a touchdown.