Roc Taylor
| No. 81 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 26, 2002 Oxford, Alabama |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 213 lb (97 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Oxford (Oxford, Alabama) |
| College: | Memphis (2021–2024) |
| Undrafted: | 2025 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
Roc Taylor (born September 26, 2002) is an American football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Memphis.
Early life and high school
[edit]Taylor attended Oxford High School in Oxford, Alabama. As a junior he recorded 71 receptions for 1,306 yards and 17 touchdowns, earning first-team Class 6A all-state honors.[1] As a senior Taylor tallied 52 receptions for 1,014 yards and 17 touchdowns.[2] Coming out of high school, he was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Tennessee Volunteers.[3] However after being committed for the Volunteers for over a year, after head coach Jeremy Pruitt was fired and new Tennessee coach Josh Heupel was brought in, Taylor's scholarship was pulled by the new coaching staff.[4] He subsequently committed to play for the Memphis Tigers.[5]
College career
[edit]In his first two collegiate seasons in 2021 and 2022, Taylor appeared in 18 games where he notched 28 receptions for 342 yards and a touchdown.[6][7] In the 2023 season opener, he tallied six receptions for 78 yards versus 2023 Bethune–Cookman.[8] In week 4, Taylor recorded seven receptions for 143 yards against Missouri.[9] In week 5, he hauled in five receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown in a win over Boise State.[10] Taylor finished the 2023 season with 69 catches for 1,083 yards and four touchdowns.[11]
In week 9 of the 2024 season, Taylor hauled in the game-winning 24 yard touchdown to help beat Charlotte.[12] In his final collegiate season in 2024, he notched 66 receptions for 950 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers.[7][13]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+7⁄8 in (1.88 m) |
213 lb (97 kg) |
32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) |
9 in (0.23 m) |
4.49 s | 1.53 s | 2.61 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) |
10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine[14][15] | ||||||||||||
Taylor signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent on April 26, 2025.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ Thomas, Ben. "Auburn putting 'full-court press' on Tennessee wide receiver commit Roc Taylor". AL.com. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Thomas, Ben. "Oxford wide receiver Roc Taylor commits to Memphis, 1 day after he was dropped by Vols". AL.com. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Martin, Brandon. "Analysis: Vols Getting Versatile Jumbo Athlete in Roc Taylor Commitment". Tennessee Volunteers on SI. SI.com. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Toppmeyer, Blake. "High school coach says Vols pulled offer from Roc Taylor. 'It's just really crappy'". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Barnes, Evan. "Roc Taylor is Memphis football's highest-rated 2021 signee after Tennessee reportedly pulls offer". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Fragoza, James. "2024 AAC WR Rankings: Memphis Has Conference's Best Trio in Roc Taylor, Demeer Blankumsee, and Koby Drake". College Football Network. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ a b "Roc Taylor". Sports Reference. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Bonner II, Frank. "It's Roc Taylor's time to shine in his third year with the Tigers". The Daily Memphian. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Dylan, Jonah. "Memphis football's Roc Taylor shows restraint in diet, not on the football field". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Buckley, Tim. "Buckley: Tigers had an 'inexcusable, pedestrian start.' Roc Taylor woke them up". The Daily Memphian. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Dylan, Jonah. "How Rokafewlloa (Roc) Taylor lived up to his name during dynamic 4-year Memphis football career". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Dylan, Jonah. "Roc Taylor's TD catch is all-time Memphis football moment, other overreactions from Charlotte win". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Buckley, Tim. "Buckley: Roc Taylor wasn't about to drop the pass that saved the day". The Daily Memphian. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ "Roc Taylor Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Roc Taylor College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Steelers agree to terms with free agents". Steelers.com. April 26, 2025.