The Second Round of the NFL Draft is currently underway and LSU just had its first selection of the night as tight end Mason Taylor was selected by the New York Jets in the second round. As a recruit Mason Taylor was a three-star recruit and based on the fact that he was just a top-50 selection it is clear that he made a ton of team's regret passing on him.
Among the coaches who regret passing on Mason Taylor is former Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. Saban likely regretted the pick when Mason Taylor was an unknown freshman who caught the game winning two-point conversion to upset the Crimson Tide in Baton Rouge. During his coverage of the NFL Draft, Mason Taylor drove home that missing on Taylor was a massive mistake.
Mason Taylor was one of Nick Saban's biggest recruiting misses
Nick Saban always has valuable insight on players whether they're players he coached or ones he coached against but, his take on Mason Taylor may be the most complimentary he's ever been.
"This is the biggest recruiting mistake we ever made. This guy is the best tight end we had in camp. I know that he's got two Pro Bowlers' DNA - Zach and Jason. You know, we bring the guy in and we shuffle around on whether we're going to offer him or not and then he commits to LSU. Then we try to get him. This guy is an outstanding player. He's got the right mental makeup, and he can play all the spots at tight end. He can play hand in the dirt, he can move as an H, he can play out as a wideout. This guy is a really good player. He's my favorite all-around tight end."Nick Saban
When Nick Saban speaks that glowingly of a player its hard to imagine that they won't translate to a superstardom in the NFL. All Mason Taylor did at LSU was impress starting as a true freshman and becoming one of the leaders of the team as LSU's most productive tight end ever. Luckily for LSU fans, Nick Saban wasn't able to swoop in when Ed Orgeron was fired otherwise the Tigers may have missed out on an All-Time legend.