Rookie Jullian Taylor making big first impressions on D-line

Posted By on August 12, 2018

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, left, and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh watch during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

SANTA CLARA — The best story of 49ers training camp by far is rookie Jullian Taylor. Otherwise, the story has been this guy is hurt, that guy is hurt.

Taylor was a seventh-round draft pick, played only 14 games of college football. Now, he starts for the 49ers. And he’s good.

The 49ers made him a starter on their defensive line after just the fourth day of training camp. That was the day starting defensive end Arik Armstead pulled his hamstring. He hasn’t practiced since.

Armstead, a former first-round pick entering his fourth season, has recorded only six sacks during his career. He missed 10 games last season with a broken hand, and eight games in 2016 with a torn labrum. He has not lived up to expectations.

When Taylor replaced Armstead at defensive end on Day 5 of training camp, Taylor was an improvement, especially defending the run. And he instantly impressed DeForest Buckner, the 49ers’ best player and one of the top defensive linemen in the NFL.

“Jullian, he is going to be a great player,” Buckner announced last week. “He has been kind of bullying guys out there.”

Big praise from one defensive lineman to another.

The one person reluctant to praise Taylor has been his coach, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. “He’s got a very, very long way to go,” Saleh said before the 49ers’ first preseason game. “I know there’s a lot of love out there for him — he’s doing a great job — but he’s got a long way to go to learn how to use his hands, to keep separation while maintaining his violence.”

A reporter followed up by asking Saleh how confident he would feel starting Taylor during the regular-season opener if Armstead still isn’t healthy enough to play. Saleh rejected the reporter’s premise.

“He still has to make the team,” Saleh said, referring to Taylor. “So, we’ll start with that one first. There are still a lot of games before he shows he’s ready to make this team.”

As things turned out, Taylor needed only one game. That’s how well he played during the 49ers’ exhibition opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night.

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This article has 74 Comments

    3. Saleh may be purposely provocative. He well knows Armstead was always a bust and will continue to be a bust going into the season. Most of our first round picks, other than Buckner, have grossly underperformed in the past decade. Foster is a question mark of course.

  2. I get the diamond in the rough concept but isn’t it a little early to get excited about a 7th round draft pick after one preseason game

    1. At this time of year it’s hard to find anything to be excited about. Let’s just get to week 1.

      Bring on the Vikes!

      2. Prime,
        +1
        Given the injuries last Thursday, it was a breath of fresh air to see JT shine.
        Richie “Rich” James looked Iike a keeper as well, but Taylor was working against 1st level players which made his effort more impressive.

        Now, I agree with Saleh that JT is not a finished product but it was good to see him transfer his TC success to a real game.

      1. Oregon, I don’t mind your drive by urine balloons thrown my way but I won’t allow you to attack one of our most treasured posters in, Scooter_McG without calling you out!

        1. Razor

          “most treasured posters…” …”legends”,…”badge of honor comparison”…WOW…!…I was unaware of the deity on here…Mea Culpa (3)

          1. ;>) If I don’t give you a hard time, you’ll wonder whether or not I give a duck. Quack, quack!

            1. No, he is a Duck, so am I, but he is blinded by his loyalty and as far as I am concerned he is an embarrassment for how he calls out Rocket, Razor, and Scooter.

              1. Under, I knew he was a Ducks fan all along. I was just giving him a dig. ;p
                .
                Believe me, I know all about the snark he throws, because I am one of his biggest targets. However, I consider it confirmation of my point to see the vehemence of his comments.
                .
                Oregon is such a huge Chip fan, I wonder who he will root for November 3rd.

  5. Perhaps arik “broken glass” the “bust” armstead is just so bad that we’re all just looking and or hoping to replace that waste of a pick with a band aid on that horrific bleeding waste of a draft pick. In fact Kentwan balmer, michael Crabtree, Anthony davis, mike iupati, Aldon smith, AJ Jenkins, eric “hate America” Reid, Jimmie Ward, arik armstead, Josh Garnett, Solomon Thomas, And possibly Ruben foster are all 1st round busts or whiffs. I can’t think of another team in the whole league with more busts or whiffs over the last decade than the niners. 10 years and 11-12 first round busts or whiffs. Out of 13 1st round players we have only one hit with deforest buckener. And the rest are either gone or about to be gone. I don’t count mcglinchey yet and foster has the chances to be a stud if he can stay healthy or out of jail (but that’s a tall task)

    2. Shotgun, like Jerry Jones, likes women beaters over patriotic Americans exercising their First Amendment rights because they, like Eric Reid, love America.
      .
      Shotgun tries to wrap himself in the flag, but cannot pledge allegiance to it. He cannot say the last 6 words without being exposed as a hypocrite. WITH LIBERTY, AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

  6. Yo shotgun, Eric hate America Reid?? Seriously, real original pal.

    I vaguely remember a guy being an absolute terror in pre-season rushing the passer, ultimately i believe he was cut and signed by Den. Don’t think he ever made much of an impact there, point being its pre-season…..no need to get carried away on the greatness of anyone at this point. I will add this guy has only been playing football a few years, if he stays healthy he should improve consistently with reps.

  7. I can smell something strange in the wind this morning….and it’s not forest fire smoke…there’s a trade coming that can help both the 49ers AND the Redskins…be careful….

      1. Razor

        Between you and undercenter, I can’t guage which of you is the more juvenile….

        1. Ha! Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment! To be compared to a legend like Dave, I mean Undercenter is a badge of honor I will wear proudly….

        2. Hey Oregon you have a really good day. By the way I am more juvenile then Razor and its not even close.

  8. Julian Taylor did have knee problems in college. He did not play much, so the lack of experience moved him down on the prospects list. However, he did play 10 out of 11 games in 2017. He demonstrated that he was recovered from those past problems, and he played well, but I am sure the injuries scared off a lot of teams.
    .
    JT also did not participate in the Combine, so other teams passed on him. However, the Niner scouts saw a diamond in the rough, did their homework, and considered JT talented enough to have a meeting with him.
    .
    I sure am glad JL listened to his scouts. When Baalke was GM, one scout thought Baalke was using their reports for toilet paper.
    .
    Like Bill Walsh said, it does not matter which round a player is drafted in, just as long as that player can do his job, and help his team win.

  9. Oregon,
    Ok I bite. What trade are you referring to?
    The trade i’m waiting for is the one for Mack. Everyday we get closer to the first regular season is one day closer to him being traded. I would give up two 1st rd picks for him. Its Fred Dean deja vu.

        1. Cassie asks:
          Did you see Grant?

          Nope … sure didn’t … but I was looking for him …
          I’m thinking he musta been on the other side of the field from me …

          but ..
          climbing on-board the shuttle bus back to our car … I noticed
          that it was about ¾ full … and everyone on that bus had their
          “collective” “umbilical chords” … (cell phones)
          super-glued to their faces … and it was extremely quiet …
          S-ooo … I yelled … “GO NINERS !” ….
          (and got the appropriate response ..)

          But then… they ALL went back to their cells …

          Damn, people ! … look up once in awhile ! … You just ..may
          see something beautiful !!

    2. OldCoach

      Well, Our trade(s) would be roughly 180 degrees apart…for one thing, the niners would be unable to continue our upward trend if we traded for Mack…toooo much money for his contract, and too expensive in players and draft choices to Oakland…(IMHO)…My trade would be for the Redskins young Olinemen (G and T) for one (or two) RB’s out of our overstuffed stable…Quite possibly Jeff Wilson, and Raheem Mostert…leaving us still well-stocked with McNicols, Joe Williams, Breida, and Mckinnon, and of course Juice. We would be in the catbird’s seat in that the ‘skins just lost Darrius Guice to injury, and they need a plus back…Mostert is too good to remain on our bench behind the others….In a nutshell, that’s it….Whattaya’think ?

  10. You know how when Mid-August rolls around, the players in TC get testy and squabbles and shove fests (and brawls in inter team scrimmages) break out?
    We’ve got that in the room these days.

    1. OldCoach

      That was the main gist of my trade…not to exclude such ‘dead wood’ as Thomas, Ward, and Garnett…they should still have SOME trade value…

        1. Raz

          Honestly…I don’t know…but he has speed and strength, so he COULD fit in nicely in many different teams systems. H e is in a terrible situation with the 49ers in that he doesn’t have the length to excel in our defensive system…if he can find a system that fits him…probably a third rounder…

    1. I saw that. Who does he threaten most?
      I would have thought they would have used this to give a better look to Williams and Mostert but Morris gives them more of a physical presence.

      1. With McKinnon and Breida out for an extended period they needed to add another back to take carries.

        I think Mostert will be the #3 guy if he keeps running like we saw Thursday night, no other running back has his special teams value.

        Would be surprised to see them keep more than 3. Only way I see Morris making the team is if 1 of the top 2 guys aren’t ready for week 1.

    3. I think this spills the end of the Joe Williams experience. Kyle saying that Alfred has a chance to make the team. Joe looks bad. Bad pick. He does not look natural.

        1. Razor if your referring to Williams he looks like sh*t. So stiff! Mcnichoals looks way better. More natural. Unfortunately once experiencing mental health issues they don’t go away. I hope I’m wrong but I don’t see this guy over coming it. Rightfully so. Horrible loss he dealt with. He does not look comfortable or natural. Great measurables but lacks instincts. McKinnon, Breida, Morris, Mosert will be the backs. Book it.

          1. Yea, just using the Shanny quote after drafting him. I think he’s a natural in this system, but either his heart isn’t in it, or McKinnon/Breida are ailing more than we’re being told….

    4. Nice. Morris weighs 222 lbs, so he is bigger than the other RBs. He may be able to run between the tackles.
      .
      Guess KS remembers him from his Washington days.

      1. BTW, now that you have had time to reflect on what you saw, did your analysis jibe with what Grant wrote?
        .
        It is always interesting to get a different perspective.

        1. Sebbie…

          To tell the truth .. from my vantage point … (level with the players)
          I wasn’t able to see much to … u-hhhh … “analize”….
          (not that I consider myself any kind of an analyst ….)

          However …
          (and I can’t believe I’m sayin’ this .. but I hafta agree with Grant
          on the “good” part of the practice … cuz I didn’t see the “bad” part …
          (Probably because I wasn’t really looking for any of that …)

          But … the TD passes by JG … CJ .. .and the play of Mullins were .. indeed..
          impressive !

          Thought a few of the regulars (here).. might have attended as well …
          but I guess not…

          Also was hoping to meet Grant, there … but apparently.. he was on
          the other side of the field

          Even though the wife got kinda bored toward the end …
          I was in my element .. and had a total blast !

          1. Glad you had a good time.
            .
            Hmm, maybe Grant is reporting with a jaundiced eye. Trying to get some confirmation bias. Oh well, that is his job, while you were being entertained.
            .
            Think they can make the playoffs?

  16. SIGH…..

    Tennessee Titans: Harold Landry, OLB. The second-rounder made a positive first impression with a strip-sack in his debut performance. Landry’s first-step quickness and his exceptional closing speed make him tough to slow down off the edge. He used that speed and burst to record the strip-sack and he also put persistent pressure on the quarterback coming off both edges. If Landry continues to torment offensive tackles with his speed, quickness, and burst, the Titans’ pass rush is going to be a problem for opponents. Grade: A-

      1. Too bad we were unaware of his medical red flag during the process. Sounds like he’s healthy. Not sure why he was flagged, but I thought it had to do with his back….

      2. Yes…i remember the blog being pretty split…i know Grant wasn’t too high on him in the first at least….would have been nice to have a true edge rusher….

    2. I understand your disappointment re Landry. We could certainly use him. I assume the Niners figured that, given Staley’ age, a higher priority was picking a future left tackle asap. Other factors may have been they figured Brown would be gone after this year and/or there was a handshake with NE to give them Brown as a condition for the Garoppolo trade. Hard to believe BB gave him to us out of the goodness of his heart, as it’s kind of been portrayed. There’s also the consideration that with McGlinchey we can now run to the right, which will open up the offense big time. Obviously I’m just guessing about all this. As it turned out, Landry fell all the way to the 9th pick of the 2nd round, three spots before we picked Pettis. Did we have the ammunition to trade up those three spots? Don’t forget that where we picked Pettis was a trade up thanks to the Brown trade. I doubt we’ll ever know what their grade on Landry was. Re Pettis, I think he’ll prove worthy of our second pick. If he stays healthy I think he’ll become our best WR since Owens.

      1. Correction: On further research, Brown had nothing to do with our trade up for Pettis. My apologies.

        1. Using the Draftek trade value chart, the Niners had picks 59 (310), and 74 ( 220). That adds up to 530.
          .
          Indy, at 37 had a value of 530. They chose Braden Smith, G Auburn.
          .
          Washington had pick number 44, with a value of 460, so the Niners overpaid.
          .
          Niners probably could have traded with the Bears at 39 (510), since they had traded last season.
          .
          However, Washington drafted Derrius Guice, who just became injured, and Geron Christian, who is slated to become the swing tackle. So if Pettis plays and contributes, the Niners will have the better deal.
          .
          I do think the Niners thanked Belichick for sending JG to SF, by sending Brown to NE.
          .
          For Brown, the Niners selected Tarvarius Moore S, and with the Niner 5th, NE selected Ja’whaun Bentley ILB.

          1. Only a hand full of rookies have outstanding first season success. It generally takes 2-3 seasons for young players to mature and acclimate in the league.

            I was not on Landry’ bandwagon. Not because he couldn’t play, but because I felt he could have chronic back issues because of how he plays.

            His freakish low bend move around the corner does not allow him enough back strength and stability. That type of move is mostly supported by his legs leaving his back vulnerable.
            I certainly wish Landry a long and successful career but he may need to modify his bread n butter move to take stress off his back.

            1. AES, I agree about the rookies needing to work out, get stronger, and study hard to learn the playbook.
              .
              However, it also depends on the team. Teams like Pittsburgh, with their playoff roster, sometimes the first rounders will have a hard time breaking into the starting lineup. 5th and 6th round picks look to get on the PS. 7th rounders do not make the team.
              .
              With teams like Indy, there may be a total rebuild, and even the third and 4th rounders have a good chance to start. Niners have been very fortunate to get Kittle and Trent Taylor in the 5th. DJ Jones and Pita in the 6th, and Colbert in the 7th. This year, DJ Reed, Richie James and Julian Taylor look like they will make the team.
              .
              In my numerous mock drafts, I had Harold Landry in most of them, because I thought the Niners needed an upgrade for the pass rush. I also had Roquan Smith because of the uncertainty regarding Foster, and Tremaine Edwards, who was young but had a ton of potential.
              .
              McGlinchey was not on my radar.

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