Ja'Sir Taylor of the @chargers started to show up as a prime slot defender in his second season. When you can annoy Travis Kelce to this degree, it's a good sign. pic.twitter.com/jgCtYXxFsC
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) June 5, 2024
Chargers cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor was recognized as the 11th-best slot defender by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar.
Here is what Farrar had to say about Taylor making the list.
Of all the slot defenders I studied to compile this list, Ja’Sir Taylor is the one with the least national name recognition. One might expect that to change for the 2022 sixth-round pick out of Wake Forest now that new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is in charge under Jim Harbaugh, who had Minter at Michigan.
Even in a weird Brandon Staley defense in 2023, Taylor proved to be quite adept in the slot. He had 207 coverage snaps in the slot last season, allowing 29 catches on 47 slot targets for 337 yards, 168 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 74.5.
Taylor is coming off his first full season as a starter after his rookie campaign was primarily spent on special teams, with some starts towards the end of 2022, including a masterful performance against the Dolphins that year.
Taylor’s sophomore season was a mixed bag of results. While he was solid in coverage for the most part, Taylor struggled as an open-field tackler. As a result, he finished with a 29.9 tackling grade.
Entering Year 3, Taylor has the opportunity to really break out under new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. He will have to fend off rookie Tarheeb Still for the starting slot corner spot.
But if he keeps his job, Taylor will provide the defense with a strong cover man with the ability to blitz.
