Chargers 90-in-90: CB Ja’Sir Taylor

Ja’Sir Taylor was born and raised on the East Coast in Asbury Park, New Jersey. He played his prep ball at Brick Township High School where he earned all-conference honors as a senior in 2016 as a two-way player.

After graduation, Taylor headed south to play for Wake Forest where he earned two starts as a true freshman against Syracuwe and North Carolina State. He ended his first season on campus with 27 total tackles and five pass breakups.

After another year playing in a rotational role (26 tackles, six pass breakups), Taylor broke out for the first time as a junior in 2019 with his first of three seasons with multiple interceptions (30 tackles, one sack, four pass breakups, forced fumble).

During the abbreviated 2020 season, Taylor recorded a career-high eight pass breakups to go with 42 tackles, two more picks, and a blocked kick. With an extra year of eligibility granted due to the pandemic, Taylor played a fifth season where he started every single game for the Demon Deacons. He earned honorable mention All-SEC honors after posting 60 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and seven pass breakups. Taylor also made history in 2021 as the first player in program history to record a kickoff return for a touchdown and an interception in the same game. Overall, he set a school records with 62 games played during his five-year career.

After the season, Taylor was invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game.

At Wake Forest’s pro day, Taylor recorded a 40 time of 4.47 with an elite three-cone time of 6.87 and a 37-inch vertical at 5’11 and 186 pounds. A month later, Taylor was selected by the Chargers with one of their two sixth-round picks in the 2022 draft.

As a rookie, Taylor started three games and played in all 17 regular season contests. He posted 22 total tackles with one pass deflection. His biggest highlight of the year came during the team’s first contest against the Broncos where Taylor blocked his man into the punt returner to force a fumble which the Chargers recovered.

Basic Info

Height: 5’10
Weight: 185
College: Wake Forest
Experience: 1
Years with team: 1

Contract Status

“Ja’Sir Taylor signed a 4 year, $3,792,012 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including a $132,012 signing bonus, $132,012 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $948,003. In 2023, Taylor will earn a base salary of $870,000, while carrying a cap hit of $903,003 and a dead cap value of $99,009.” - Spotrac.com

The Good

Taylor showed at his pro day that he possesses some elite change-of-direction skills with an insane three-cone time of 6.87. That physical ability showed up on tape as he consistently drove hard on receivers coming underneath. Despite average size, Taylor plays with excellent physicality at the line of scrimmage.

The Bad

Taylor took his rookie lumps this past season as he was forced to acclimate quite fast for a sixth-round rookie. His three games he started were against Miami, Tennessee, and Denver where he was tasked with matching up against some draws at wideout. He ended the year allowing seven receptions on 11 targets thrown his way that went for 113 yards. That’s just over 16 yards allowed per completion.

Odds of making the roster/What to expect in 2023?

With veteran Bryce Callahan a free agent, and the Chargers seemingly not considering the idea of bringing him back, Taylor looks poised to slot in (pun intended) on the inside as his replacement. It might not seem like the best idea to start him at such an important position in the NFL but that shows us just how confident the staff is in Taylor’s progression from year one to year two.