Kelvin Taylor NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for 49ers Rookie

POSITIVES

A 22-year-old junior, Kelvin Taylor is the son of NFL great Fred Taylor. In the last two seasons at Florida, Taylor accumulated 1,600 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground while exploding under new head coach Jim McElwain in 2015.

A well-built athlete with the right body composition, Taylor wins with footwork and quickness rather than deep speed. He is able to make quick cuts and create yardage with his vision. He won't outrun defenders to the corner, but he can win with lateral agility and has the skills to shake a defender until he finds a rushing lane. Taylor's film shows spin moves, jump cuts and hard, one-cut runs between the tackles.

When watching Taylor's feet in the trenches, you see he understands how to get to daylight on an instinctive level. His lack of long speed means he has to beat defenses with inside quickness and hard, decisive cuts.

Taylor has exceptional ball control, with no fumbles in his college career. He's built to handle runs between the hashes in the NFL and won't shy away from contact there. He brings the same mentality to his role as a pass protector and will engage edge defenders.

NEGATIVES

What does Taylor do great? The answer for many teams may be nothing. He's not exceptionally fast and doesn't have back-breaking power. His ability to beat a defense comes from vision and cutting prowess, and those things don't show up in a workout.

Without top-tier speed or power, how can Taylor create in the NFL? He's ideal for a zone-blocking scheme, but because he can't run away from tacklers and isn't a consistent receiver, his value may be as a change-of-pace back and not as a starter.

Taylor's last name and hard-running style will help his cause, but he has to learn to be more patient in the NFL. The pedigree is there, but he cannot run up on the heels of his linemen and expect to cut off their feet. Trusting the line and trusting the play call will be huge first steps toward pro success.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 5'10 2/8"

Weight: 207 lbs.

40 Time: 4.60s

3-Cone: 7.23s

Short Shuttle: 4.20s

PRO COMPARISON: Ka'Deem Carey, Chicago Bears
FINAL GRADE: 6.00/9.00 (Round 3—Rotational Player)