Minnesota Vikings: What Could Taylor Mays Bring to the Table?
Aug 24, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver John Brown (12) is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals free safety Taylor Mays (26) and defensive back R.J. Stanford (28) during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
According to reports, the Minnesota Vikings have brought a third player who played under Mike Zimmer in Cincinnati for the Bengals in for a free agent visit this off-season.
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Taylor Mays is a safety who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers but who has played most of his five year NFL career with the Bengals. His playing time has been sporadic as he has started only 10 of his 66 career games. The Vikings definitely could use some depth at the safety position but how good of a fit would Mays be?
As a football fan I am certainly aware of Mays but have not heard a lot about him. My first thought I had when hearing his name was Roy Roundtree imitating him during the Bengals’ rookie show on HBO’s “Hard Knocks”. (I tried to find the video but was not able to. If anyone can, please share it in the comments. It was hilarious.)
Mays was a star in college for the University of Southern California. He was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award for the top defensive back in college football. He was also a second team All-American his freshman year and a first teamer in each of his final three seasons at USC.
Unfortunately for Mays, his professional career has not been nearly as full of accolades. He was selected in the second round of the 2010 Draft by the 49ers. There were rumblings that then-Head Coach Mike Singletary was the one behind the pick. Singletary was out after the 2010 season and Mays was shown the door with him. The shocking part was not that the 49ers looked to go in another direction but that they moved him to Cincinnati for a seventh round pick in the 2013 Draft. It was a shockingly low return.
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The book on Mays as a pro has always been that he has great straight-line speed and athleticism but that his coverage skills are lacking. Zimmer knows Mays better than anyone in the NFL. If he believes he can use Mays, then I trust him. Robert Blanton was serviceable at safety opposite Harrison Smith as the Vikings’ pass defense improved to seventh in the league. Still, Blanton is not a star so if there is someone available that can either push him or be good enough to beat him out then I am all for it.
According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Mays is a “strong” candidate to sign with the Vikings. Stay tuned.