Miami Dolphins: New Cornerback Jamar Taylor Has Kidney Issues

The Miami Dolphins will likely begin the season with Jamar Taylor as one of their starting cornerbacks.  How did the Dolphins acquire a first-round talent so late in the second round?  According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, when Taylor was tested at this year's NFL combine, his kidneys were operating at 42 percent efficiency.

Miami's 2013 second-round selection has the skill set to be a star for the Dolphins.  The Boise State standout has speed, agility and strength.  Taylor was a "top performer" (per NFL.com) among cornerbacks in the NFL combine's 40-yard dash (4.39 sec), 20-yard shuttle (4.06 sec) and bench press (22 reps).

Rob Rang of CBS Sports described Taylor as an "instinctive, dependable cornerback with good overall size and athleticism" and compared him to Ronde Barber.  Rang's colleagues, Pete Prisco and Clark Judge, believed the Atlanta Falcons were going to draft Taylor in the first round.

Did Jeff Ireland know what he was getting into?  Apparently so, as teams were advised of Taylor's situation, causing a free-fall of sorts.

Taylor has had high blood pressure since he was a teenager and was given a medication that began to damage his kidneys.  As a football player, the ex-Bronco took anti-inflammatories that compounded the ill effects of his medication.  At the NFL combine, Taylor and the NFL were made aware of the severe damage that his kidneys had endured.

A biopsy determined that Taylor's kidneys did not have a pre-existing condition and that his medication was to blame.  Taylor is now using a new blood pressure medication, and while his kidneys were left with scar tissue, their operating efficiency is expected to improve.

As Dion Jordan's selection was on Day 1 of the draft, the selection of Jamar Taylor was another bold move by Jeff Ireland.  Ireland bet on Taylor's health, and his reward may be a defensive island in Miami.