In high school, Alontae Taylor would've told you he was a quarterback, and a pretty darn good one, at that.
When he arrived on campus at Tennessee, he'd have told you he was a wide receiver.
But as he arrives with the Saints after becoming the No. 49 overall selection in the 2022 NFL draft, he couldn't tell you what position he'll play in the defensive backfield. The Saints were the team he spoke with the most, but they didn't define what position they'd want him at. Regardless, he's willing to do it all.
LISTEN TO TAYLOR'S INTRO INTERVIEW ON WWL IN THE PLAYER BELOW.
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"[The Saints] were just saying that they loved how I played and felt like from my IQ and understanding of the game that I could play in any part of the backfield, whether that's corner, nickel," he said, "or even playing safety."
That positional flexibility will be important for a team that always seeks depth at cornerback, but has its biggest hole at safety. Taylor concedes he sees himself as a cornerback, but scouts and coaches say he can play anywhere.
Head coach Dennis Allen says he views the rookie to work at outside cornerback early on with the potential to move inside, but also with a major impact on special teams -- an area of the game the Saints invest a great deal. He'll have a crowded road ahead of him with Marshon Lattimore, Bradley Roby and Paulson Adebo all returning on the outside, and CJ Gardner-Johnson entrenched at the nickel spot. Adding a cornerback might feel like a luxury, but as we saw in 2021 injuries can change that picture quickly.
"Obviously the corner position is a position that we feel pretty good about already," Allen said. "And so we're adding a guy into the mix, and the fact that he ... has the ability to potentially be a dominant special teams player, I thought was a very big factor for us."
And while it may be a cliche, it is that because it's true: "I don't think you can ever have too many corners," Allen continued.
The first trait that matters in special teams role, Allen said, is "willingness," and that's what Taylor has in droves.
He initially started working on his special teams skillset because that's what his head coach at the time, Jeremy Pruitt, said he needed to do first before getting a chance to shift back to WR. That move back to WR never came, largely because his play at cornerback was so dynamic that it never made sense to happen. But that special teams skillset is one of the things that could help him impact a roster greatly to start his career.
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"Special teams is something that I embrace and something that I look forward to playing,” Taylor said on WWL.
Still, the move portends a lot more action to come. The Saints still have clear needs at safety -- if Taylor is in fact not the answer there -- and have depth questions at defensive tackle and tight end. The team could be more active on Day 3 of the draft, but they'll have to swing a deal to get on the clock in Round 4 or 7, currently holding just the 162 and 194 picks in the 5th and 6th round respectively after a handful of deals that helped the team land Ohio State WR Chris Olave at No. 11 and Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning at No. 19.
"We're trying to find the best players that we can to help our football team and to give us an opportunity to go out and be successful" Allen said. "And we feel like we're doing that right now."