Mason Taylor watched his father finish up a Hall of Fame career with wide eyes and football dreams of his own.
Now, the son of Jason Taylor is a member of the New York Jets — a second-round draft pick from LSU with famous bloodlines and an opportunity to make an immediate impact in the NFL.
Recommended Videos
With a chance to step out of one big shadow.
“There’s high expectations, for sure, just because of the last name,” Mason Taylor acknowledged after the Jets' first practice of rookie minicamp Friday. “But I mean, when people say, like, ‘Oh, let him have his shine,’ you know, ‘Stop saying his dad’s name,’ I mean, I love it. We’re family."
His father was one of the NFL's greatest pass rushers with 139 1/2 career sacks during a 15-year career. That included 13 seasons with Miami over three stints, one season with Washington and the 2010 season for the Jets — the last time New York made the playoffs.
Several photos of Mason Taylor — then 6 years old — have floated around social media the past few weeks of him at Jets practices and games with a green Mohawk and a green and white No. 99 jersey. There's another of him celebrating his 7th birthday while wearing a No. 6 Mark Sanchez jersey.
“Yeah, I mean, seeing the pictures and being here now," said Taylor, now wearing No. 46 with the Jets, “is definitely a surreal moment.”
His uncle is Zach Thomas, the brother of Mason's mother and also a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He was also a long-time teammate of Jason with the Dolphins.
“I mean, I’m wanting to be like them,” Mason said. "So, you can call it ‘in their shadows,’ but I love modeling my game after theirs, their hard work. I know they were on the defense, but just their hard work and how they weren’t highly recruited coming into the NFL ... their consistency every single day.
“I look up to those guys, for sure.”
Jason Taylor got emotional shortly after his son was drafted, wiping away tears during a video call with reporters when thinking about what it'll be like for him to see Mason playing in the NFL.
Before the young tight end reported for rookie camp with the Jets, he received some advice from his famous father.
“He actually shot me a text yesterday, last night before our first day today: ‘Just be where your feet are, take it one step at a time,’” recalled Mason Taylor, who turned 21 on Thursday. “And that’s something I’ve done my whole entire life — just one day at a time, one install at a time, one practice at a time, one workout at a time.
"So really just being where your feet are, stacking days and that'll show your consistency and then that will get the trust from the coaches and players as well.”
Taylor had 129 catches for 1,308 yards and six TDs in three seasons at LSU, establishing himself as the most productive tight end in school history and one of the top players at his position in the country. He'll be counted on to add another passing option for Justin Fields in the Jets’ new-look offense this season.
New York's tight ends group also includes Jeremy Ruckert, Zack Kuntz, Neal Johnson and Stone Smartt, but Taylor could see significant snaps as a rookie.
“Taking advantage of my opportunity here and the coaches bringing me and trusting me to be a part of their program just speaks to the level of confidence they have in me,” Taylor said. “And just giving them all I got on the field for minicamp and showing that in the meetings and weight room and all that is definitely something I’m looking forward to do.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl