Tory Taylor 2024 NFL Draft Overview
Height: Six-foot-three
Weight: 229 pounds
Position: Punter
School: Iowa
2024 NFL Draft: Tory Taylor Scouting Report
Punters are people, too and Tory Taylor has spent his time at Iowa making sure the outside world understands that. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Taylor is one of the older prospects in the class. He established himself as one of the best punters in the nation immediately in 2020. In his freshman season, Taylor punted the ball 40 times and logged an average of 44.1 yards per punt. His season-long was 61 yards in the win over Michigan State. He also had nine punts of greater than 50 and pinned offenses back 18 times inside the 20 with just one touchback.
He upped his game in 2021. In 14 games, Taylor mashed 80 punts for an average of 46.1 yards per punt. This time, he pinned the opposition back 38 times but also added 13 touchbacks. Taylor logged 27 punts greater than 50 and his season-long was 69 yards in the win over Iowa State. It was more of the same in 2022 and Taylor even picked up holding duties on field goals and extra points. This time, he punted 82 times for an average of 45.4 yards per. This time, he allowed just 11 touchbacks and landed punts inside the 20-yard line 38 times. In the win over Purdue, Taylor launched the longest punt of his career and longest in the nation of 70 yards.
Instead of declaring for the NFL Draft, Taylor came back for his senior season. He finished up as arguably the top punter in the nation and has positioned himself to be the first specialist drafted. In 2023, Taylor punted 93 times for a career-best 48.2 yards per punt. Of those 93 punts, seven resulted in touchbacks with 32 punts downed within the 20. 40 of his punts went further than 50 yards.
Four punters averaged more than 48 yards per punt. Taylor was the only one with more than 68 punts. Across his career, 43.4% of his punts were downed inside the 20.
Career Honors
- Ray Guy Award (2023)
- All-American (Unanimous, 2023)
- First-Team All-Big Ten (2020, 2023)
- Big Ten Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year (2020, 2023)
- Third-Team All-Big Ten (2022)
- Most punting yards in a single season (4,479 in 2023)
- Highest career yards per punt (46.3)
Strengths
- Cannon of a leg, 33.9% of punts 50+
- Experience as a field goal and extra point holder
- 295 career punts
- Adept at directional punting and coffin corner punts
- Has flashed solid hangtime
- Aussie style punter, so he has enough athleticism to get by
Weaknesses
- 10.8% touchback
- Age, will turn 27 before the season
- Still needs to improve hangtime
- Out-kicked his coverage too often
NFL Player Comparison: Cameron Johnston
Projection: Fifth Round
Best Fits: Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals
Bottom Line on Tory Taylor
The highest a punter has ever been drafted is at pick 110. While highly unlikely, Taylor could challenge that. Crazier things have certainly happened, remember when Sebastian Janikowski went 17th overall back in 2000? If the the past few Cincinnati Bengals runs have shown, punters matter, and having a legitimate punter can turn a game around.
Taylor is an experienced punter who understands the ins and outs of today’s game. He has the leg to flip the field in any condition and can pin offenses deep a the drop of a hat.
Realistically, the biggest knock on Taylor is his age. But a 27-year-old punter is not as much of a detriment as any non-specialist. He has the punting ability enough to overlook his age. While he flashed a solid hangtime, he could improve (as Bengals fans shudder and remember the 2022 AFC Championship). He often out-kicked his coverage as well.
Either way, Taylor leaves Iowa as one of the most prolific punters in college football history. Special teamers are often overlooked but Taylor is #GoodForTheBrand, as Pat McAfee would put it.
Main Image: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
