UNC DE Hilee Taylor came into the draft as a DE who was projected to play a hands-down outside LB in a 3-4 defense.  At 6’3" 245 lbs he's supposedly too small to play every down at DE in the NFL yet too big/slow to play in many LB schemes. A true ‘tweener’ as they say.

 When the Panthers drafted the 2^nd team All ACC DE in the 7^th round John Fox Taylor quickly stated he would stay at DE. Fox has decided that the D-line needs more speed up front and Taylor certainly brings that along with refined pass-rushing ability. Before I go any further though you have to start with his highlight clip, one of the more impressive ones I’ve seen.

Though he’s not real big for a DE he is as fast as any DE in the league. The Panthers must be planning on putting a few lbs on the guy and running him out there in obvious passing situations.

Taylor didn’t attend the Scouting Combine but here are some notes from UNC’s Pro Day.

Taylor showed good burst and fluid hips in agility drills, possibly dispelling the thoughts that limited athleticism could keep him from excelling at linebacker. He also ran a blazing 40 in the 4.5 range, which should boost his draft stock.

"I was ready just to let it all loose," he said. "Overall I'm pretty happy with how I did."

He reminds me of Jason Taylor in that picture given his height and build. The real question though is "Can he dance?"

Here’s a summary of his senior season at UNC.

Team Captain
• Second-Team All-ACC by The Associated Press and Rivals.com

2007 - Senior Season
Played in the Hula Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii • Had an outstanding senior season under the tutelage of first-year head coach Butch Davis and defensive line coach John Blake • Finished the season with 49 tackles, 16 tackles for losses, 10.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two pass breakup and one fumble recover• Ranked second in the ACC and 11th in the nation in sacks per game (0.88) • Was third in the ACC and 23rd in the country in tackles for losses per game (1.33) • Ranked second in the ACC in fumbles forced • Named to the midseason watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award which is given annually to the nation's top defensive end

2008 Impact Summary

The Panthers will groom Taylor as a pass-rushing specialist who will may get on the field in obvious passing downs, probably late in games for this first season. In the 4^th quarter when the opposing offensive linemen may be wearing down I could see Taylor getting around the end real quick.

The Panthers will try to put some weight on Taylor over the next year in the hopes that if he gets up to 260 to 270 pounds he could develop into a starter. Taylor has the height, strength and speed to help the Panthers pass rush in 2008. He will need to gain weight though if he wants to see extended playing time on the field.

Update: I forgot to include this gem from Fox on drafting Hilee and how he expects to use him :

At the end position, we took Hilee Taylor from North Carolina (in the seventh round). He's a 4.5 guy that's an excellent pass-rush situation guy, and we were pretty deficient on third down (last year). We were in the bottom third of the League in third-down defense last year, which is an area we have to get better at, rushing the passer with a four-man rush, and we think he's going to help address that.