NFL Draft 2011: Could Phil Taylor Become the Kansas City Chiefs' Vince Wilfork?

As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for the upcoming NFL draft, fans are busy actively debating what moves the Chiefs should make with their first-round pick.

While these fans spend their hours arguing over the merits of drafting a wide receiver versus an offensive lineman, a growing community has begun looking towards defensive players, hoping to bolster a Chiefs defense that, at times, seemed lackadaisical in 2010. 

More specifically, many have turned their sights towards Baylor nose tackle Phil Taylor.

Taylor was a run stopping machine at Baylor, recording 62 tackles last season, 35 of which were solo tackles. His size and abilities, along with a stellar showing at the NFL combine, have him projected to go in the latter half of the first round.

With the Chiefs in need of a stronger defensive line, Taylor looks like a player who could be an immediate difference maker.

Essentially, the questions surrounding Taylor are not questioning his abilities as much as wondering how far those abilities will go in the NFL.

The question then becomes, could Phil Taylor become the Chiefs’ version of New England Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork?

Wilfork has become one of the premier nose tackles in the NFL, successfully stopping opponent's running games, all the while opening up the passing game by eating up blocks in the middle. In eight seasons, Wilfork has registered 360 tackles, sending him to three Pro Bowls.

Last season, Wilfork even showed his versatility by switching over to defensive end for several weeks.

The two are alarmingly similar.

Physically, Taylor surpasses Wilfork, measuring in taller and heavier than Wilfork did at the 2004 NFL combine. With both players weighing in over 320 lbs though, they are very intimidating on the line.Though both are physically similar, the true similarities become obvious while viewing game tape.

Wilfork has become known for his quickness. Despite his size, he is able to tackle people in the open field as well as fill holes in the line that many defensive tackles would have difficulties even getting to.

While not quite as fast, Taylor showed his speed and quickness at the combine. This speed will allow him to get past offensive linemen in much the same way that Wilfork has.

Their speed is also coupled with a natural instinct that allows them to track the ball, letting them anticipate the movements of even the quickest ball handlers. Wilfork and Taylor both show a similar awareness of the location of the ball at all times, and while the NFL is a faster game, Taylor should have no major issues adapting to this style of play.

The biggest similarity between the two players is the intensity they show.

Wilfork’s intensity has gotten him in trouble occasionally, accruing fines for some big hits, but it has also allowed him to use his strength to make plays happen. Taylor shows hints of this as well, working hard to get to the ball handler by controlling the play of opposing linemen with his strength.

One major difference comes during pass plays.

Taylor has a tendency to come in too high with his pads, making him less of a threat with the quarterback in the pocket. His quickness and strength will eventually make Taylor a threat in passing situations, but for the immediate future, Taylor’s main impact will come on first and second down.

With some work, there is no doubt that Taylor could become as explosive as Wilfork, even possibly gaining the ability to lineup at defensive end like Wilfork has done on occasion.

Of course, much of this hinges on Taylor’s ability to adapt to the NFL game. For every Vince Wilfork that comes into the NFL and adapts quickly, you can find a player like Wendell Bryant who, after being drafted 16th overall in 2002, was only able to record 39 tackles in three seasons. This type of flame out seems unlikely when it comes to Taylor, but expecting success like Wilfork’s right out of the draft may also be expecting too much.

All of this to say, if the Chiefs opt to go with Phil Taylor, they may not be getting another Vince Wilfork, but the Chiefs definitely will not be disappointed with the player they do get.