One-handed catches in the NFL can skyrocket you into eternal fame. Just as Randy Moss, Odell Beckham Jr. or, now, Denver’s Jordan Taylor.
Last Friday, on the Broncos’ second day of training camp, the second-year wide receiver out of Rice University made a spectacular one-handed grab and people can’t stop talking about it.
It helps that Taylor has continued to impress in the days following his OBJ-snag.
He has since become the camp darling, alongside fellow receiver Kalif Raymond, and has received a lot more attention than he’s used to. Before Friday, Taylor wasn’t on the radar of most Broncos fans, or even coaches, but that’s all different now.
“I think it’s just being more confident. Last year I was coming in like a rookie, and my head was swimming around. There was a lot of information being thrown at me,” Taylor said when asked what changed. “This year, I can kind of put all that behind me and just go play.”
Some people might recognize him as the guy Peyton Manning bought a suit for during the Super Bowl, or because he looks like “Sunshine” from Remember the Titans, But Taylor has built a reputation for himself over the last two years, and people are finally starting to take notice.
“His legs got a little tired today, but he keeps going,” head coach Gary Kubiak said. “I think his conditioning level gives him a chance to be a really good player.”
If a player’s conditioning level stands out on an NFL team full of guys who get paid to workout, that’s saying something. Taylor puts in the extra work and the extra time at practice every day to prove he belongs.
After camp ended Monday, he still took two more reps after everyone else was done, before the screaming mass of fans called him over for autographs — which he signed for longer than he had to. And it’s because he really cares. He really loves the game.
In fact, he loves all facets of the game and other games too. In high school, Taylor played quarterback for all but his sophomore year, and was ranked as one of the top-20 athletes in Texas. He earned all-district honors for baseball and ran track for Denison high school as well.
He redshirted his first year at Rice University and battled through an injury in his freshman season, but still managed 10 catches for 72 yards in just four games. He led all receivers at Rice in his remaining three seasons, and signed with the Broncos as a college free agent in May of 2015.
He impressed on the scout team and practice squad as a rookie, enough to catch the eye and favor of an injured Manning. Taylor would get up and catch balls for Manning at least three mornings a week before his normal practice, where he played both sides of the ball — it’s no wonder he is in such incredible shape.
But the double workouts did more than just improve Taylor’s cardiovascular health. Manning credits Taylor with getting his mojo back, and in a roundabout way, for winning the Super Bowl.
Taylor didn’t suit up for Super Bowl 50, and isn’t even guaranteed a roster spot this year, but he goes out every day and works hard — hard enough to get Manning’s approval — and he is reaping the benefits this year at camp.
Still, the 6-foot-5 Texan knows he has a long ways to go before he does get to suit up on a Sunday.
“It feels good to kind of take shape, and come into my own here, but like I said, I got a lot of work left to do,” Taylor said. “Just gotta keep working.”
With his long hair, freckles, blue eyes and ear-to-ear smile, he’ll have more than Manning pulling for him to be on the roster come September. And if he makes more catches like he did on Friday, the coaches won’t have much of a choice.
