Sean Taylor is the best defensive back I have ever seen. (I was born in 1995, so please don't yell at me about Deion Sanders, Ronnie Lott, Rod Woodson or anyone else - they all played before my football consciousness was fully developed). His combination of football instincts, range, ball skills, hitting power, and raw athleticism was unlike anything I've seen in a single player, and he deserves to be mentioned in any conversation about the best safeties of all time. I will be very careful whenever I attempt to compare a young safety to him.

Taylor is not the only elite player at his position to get drafted over the last decade - Eric Berry, Eric Weddle, Earl Thomas and Tyrann Mathieu (to name a few) have also shown stretches of dominance, and flashed elite physical traits. So I am well aware that the title of this post, and the following paragraphs that justify it, will surprise and potentially upset many of you. 

Let me explain.

One more disclaimer before I begin to breakdown his skill set - I will do my best to remain analytical, and evaluate his game objectively, but some of the plays this guy makes transcend analysis. The end of this post will basically be a collection of highlights that left my jaw dropped. If you aren't much for reading, and would like to just scroll down and watch the clips, I don't blame you.

FBI (Football Instincts/Intelligence)

While this trait is arguably the most over and mis-used phrase in football scouting, it is perhaps the most important when evaluating a defensive back. The way Joseph diagnoses and sees the field is on par with any safety in the NFL today, and it is clear that he studies his opponents' formations, personnel, and tendencies on film. His on-field awareness is light years ahead of any other defensive back in the 2016 NFL draft - take for example this play against Texas Tech:

Rarely do you see a player with the presence of mind to strip a ball like this, and then immediately dive after it to keep it in bounds for his teammate to recover, instead of showboating or dancing. There are no diva celebrations from Joseph after hits like these, he is always looking to make the smart play for his team. 

His patience, maturity, and discipline with angles in the run game is also very impressive for a player of Joseph's age. Below is one of my favorite plays I saw while evaluating him, and should be included in every football coach's tutorial on how to defend the read-option.

He maintains an angle of containment on his responsibility (the quarterback) and then has the quickness and "FBI" to instantly recognize the hand-off, and chase down the running back from the weak side. The discipline of keeping containment while waiting to burst after the running back is critical for any defensive scheme and particularly against read-option plays like the one Kansas State runs here. 

Range/Closing Speed

Another trait which will always determine whether or not a college safety will succeed at the next level is their range and speed. "Range" is more than just straight-line sprinting speed - the important attribute is how fast a player can stop, change direction and then accelerate to the ball. No matter how smart or instinctive of a player you are, it won't matter unless you have the physical tools to get to the ball quickly.

When this ball is thrown, Joseph is on the same near hash that the ball is thrown from. In the two seconds the ball is in the air, he is able to recognize the throw, flip his hips, sprint to the ball, and then make a play. While he makes this look routine, many safeties just simply don't have the speed to make this interception - how many times have you seen Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers beat a Cover 2 like this by dropping a ball along the sideline before the safety has time to come over and help? Joseph's ability to cover a zone with an extremely large radius makes him a huge asset in coverage, regardless of the defensive shell his team is using.

In this play, Joseph actually breaks out of his zone from inside the near hash, and still has the speed to recover to the receiver before he can catch the ball. Obviously the pure violence and entertainment of the hit will stand out to most (it's incredible) but the impressive thing to me here is the range he demonstrates by covering LITERALLY half of the entire field on one throw. This skill will translate very well to the next level.

Joseph flashed his unique speed again in this Oklahoma game while sacking the elusive Heisman trophy candidate, Baker Mayfield. After manipulating the blocking running back with a feint to the inside, he closes a 6 yard gap between him and the quarterback faster than anyone I've seen his size. This is one application of a safety's range that is often overlooked - NFL offenses will have a hard time dealing with powerful speed like Joseph's coming off the edge as a pass-rusher. 

Hitting Power and Tackling

Now for the fun stuff. Everyone - no matter what level of football comprehension they are at - can appreciate a de-cleating hit. I haven't seen a college player lay the wood like Joseph since Taylor himself at Miami. Rather than pretending to have something smart to say for each one, here is a montage of just a few of Joseph's best hits in college. 

As a true freshman against an Olympic athlete, and future NFL player (Marquise Goodwin):

again - as a true freshman.

This is a 288 pound man. He is not treated as such.

And here's that OU hit one more time, because wow.

Ball Skills

Finally, the trait that separates a lot of good safeties from the dominant, game-changing, playmaker tier is simply the ability to make plays on the football, and change possession. Joseph has a rare ability to time his jumps, high point the football, and use his hands to catch the ball, not his body. Again, I'll refrain from trying to analyze these plays and let you enjoy the obvious greatness of his ball skills. 

I think the best thing about Joseph, though, is not that he has all of these elite traits, but that he has no significant holes or flaws in his game. He is one of the most complete college football players I have ever evaluated, and no matter how hard I try, it is difficult for me to criticize anything about him other than possibly his height (5'10" is slightly less than prototypical). Some may criticize his seemingly reckless abandon when laying out an opposing player, but all of his big hits are good football plays in the context of the specific play itself. There are literally hundreds of plays in his career with textbook tackling form that would please the football purists reading this article (I haven't included them because I think the hits above are more fun to watch). 

Although I am a lifelong Chargers fan, I am very much looking forward to Joseph joining one of the best young defenses in the league, and am wishing him nothing but the best for 14 out of 16 weeks a year. 

Thanks for reading,
Kieran