Is Jamar Taylor in a Make-or-Break Year for Miami Dolphins?

The Miami Dolphins drafted Jamar Taylor in the second round for a reason. Two years ago, they saw in him the potential to become a full-time, full-fledged starter in their defense. 

That was a previous front office regime, though, one spearheaded by former general manager Jeff Ireland. But although the Dolphins parted ways with Ireland in 2014, his scouting of defensive backs was not his undoing. Between Sean Smith, Vontae Davis and Reshad Jones, Ireland had done a solid job of finding capable defensive backs in the draft.

This is the year when Taylor will have to follow in their shoes. 

Player	Year	Round	Games w/ MIA	Starts w/ MIA
Vontae Davis	2009	1	44	36
Sean Smith	2009	2	63	56
Chris Clemons	2009	5	72	48
Nolan Carroll	2010	5	58	26
Reshad Jones	2010	5	72	58
Jimmy Wilson	2011	7	60	21
Jamar Taylor	2013	2	21	3
Don Jones	2013	7	20	0
Walt Aikens	2014	4	15	0

Taylor entered the NFL with heaps of hype. The 5'11", 192-pound Boise State cornerback ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, put up 22 reps of a 225-pound bench press and clocked a 4.06-second finish in the 20-yard shuttle at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine. Those numbers were all among the top five cornerbacks at the scouting combine that year. 

His physicality and athleticism earned him an 85.5 draft grade from NFL.com, which qualified him as worthy of a first-round selection. He ranked out as the fifth-best cornerback and 28th-best prospect in the 2013 NFL draft according to CBSSports.com. By those accounts, Taylor was a steal in the second round at the 54th overall selection.

Taylor's first two seasons come with an asterisk. He dealt with a sports hernia in his rookie season that limited his playing time in training camp. His rookie season was so disappointing, from his own perspective, that he considered quitting football, according to Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman.

"

It was to the point last year I thought I was done playing football. I didn't want to play anymore. I was out of it. Thank God for my girlfriend, my family, my pastors and God — because I made it through and kept working. I'm really looking forward to this year. I'm going to turn a lot of heads. 

Coming back, not being myself, being slower, not as quick, not as agile — watching on Sunday, knowing you want to play, knowing you're better than some guys and there's nothing you can do about it.

"

Things didn't get much better in Taylor's second year; he was pushed aside for veteran Cortland Finnegan and finished his second season on injured reserve with a late-season shoulder injury. Perhaps the lingering effects of the injuries he dealt with as a rookie carried over to his second year. 

Hopefully for Taylor, that's exactly what happened. At least that would be a decent explanation for why he allowed 33 receptions on 49 throws into his coverage and an overall passer rating of 93.6, according to Pro Football Focus. 

All the tools are there. It's just a matter of putting them all together on a consistent basis and, more importantly, staying healthy.

For those reasons, it makes sense that Taylor would be considered the front-runner for the starting spot opposite Brent Grimes in this year's defense, as was reported by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. If Taylor is unable to do one or both of those things, there are plenty of cornerbacks waiting in the wings to snare up his spot in the starting lineup. 

The Dolphins have spent this offseason finding one insurance policy after another. Brice McCain is more likely to fill in at the slot cornerback position due to his experience at that spot, but the Dolphins have shown a willingness to put undersized cornerbacks on the perimeter (see Grimes).

Zack Bowman has started at least five games in each of the past two seasons, and he could be looked at as an "in-case-of-emergency-break-glass" depth option behind Taylor.

Second-year defensive back Walt Aikens and third-year cornerback Will Davis have not yet shown Taylor's potential.

Davis was just beginning to scratch the surface of his ceiling before he suffered a season-ending ACL tear. Aikens, on the other hand, is now listed as a safety on the Dolphins' official website, so who knows if the former Liberty cornerback will find his way back to his old position or how he would factor into a Taylor insurance policy.

Finally, there are two rookie cornerbacks to account for in Bobby McCain and Tony Lippett.

At 5'9" and 195 pounds, McCain is probably best suited for the slot, so he may not be an immediate threat to Taylor's spot. Lippett, on the other hand, is 6'2" and 192 pounds of potential. The former Michigan State wide receiver is making the full-time transition to defense, and if he shows signs of growth, he could factor into the equation for playing time.

There are plenty of other options waiting for Taylor to slip up. If this year isn't a breakout year for him, it may be time to begin looking for alternatives.