Mcninch

Jason Taylor was born on September 1, 1974 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to his athletic ability, size, and smarts of the game, Taylor has molded himself into one of the best defensive players that the NFL has ever seen. Although his football career did not start out as strong, it was Taylors determination that allowed him to reach all of his goals.

A little known fact about Taylor is that he was home schooled from 10th to 12th grade. But although he did not go to school for class, he was still allowed to participate in sports at Woodland Hills High School, a few miles outside of the city of Pittsburgh. While in high school Taylor was a standout player in both basketball and football.

Although Taylor had a successful high school career, he did not get many scholarship offers from major colleges. So he decided to take his game to the University of Akron, located in Akron, Ohio. While at Akron he began to show the same time of athleticism as he did in high school, and by the time his college career was finished many NFL scouts had begun to take notice.

The Miami Dolphins selected Taylor with the 73rd overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft. Although many teams passed up on his services more than once, this did not get Taylor down. He knew that he could compete at the NFL level, and he began to show this early on in his career.

In 2006, Taylor had his best season ever. He finished with 13 sacks, two interceptions, and 10 forced fumbles. This led to him being named the AP Defensive Player of the Year.

Jason Taylor is the perfect role model for young players who may be flying under the radar. Although he did not get a lot of attention out of high school and college, Taylor still found a way to realize his dreams.