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Trainer Lorenzo Spikes says Alontae Taylor sees 'the little things' to excel with Saints

Maddy Hudak
May 6, 2022 8:28 am CT

The New Orleans Saints are skilled at finding diamonds in the rough – both in free agency and in the NFL draft – and no prospect exemplifies that like rookie defensive back Alontae Taylor. The No. 49 pick has a clear duality: Taylor the person, and Taylor the player. Both check a lot of boxes that the team not only searches for in draft prospects but covets in veteran players. A cursory search on Day 2 of the 2022 NFL draft left me impressed by Taylor’s traits on and off the field. He fits New Orleans’ athletic prototype at 6-foot-1 and 199 pounds – with 32 1/4-inch arms – Taylor certainly has the physical makeup you’d covet in a defensive back.

Yet, the initial reaction focused on, frankly, irrelevant factors in evaluating the prospect. Mainly, team-based need and previously-traded draft capital. After losing their No. 101 pick in the pre-draft trade with the Philadelphia Eagles (along with a slew of future picks), the team sent Washington Nos. 16, 98, and 120 picks to trade up for Chris Olave. This left New Orleans with no picks after Taylor’s selection until Round 5; a consequent skewed importance was placed on the Tennessee player. If you take a step back, assess the team’s draft history in the secondary, and look past initial grades, it’s all but a quintessential Saints pick. I was intrigued by the potential and already-tested versatility of Taylor, so I spoke with someone who has worked closely with him since the seventh grade: former Florida Gators wide receiver and Taylor’s trainer, Lorenzo “Zo” Spikes.

Initially a quarterback in high school, formerly a wide receiver, and recruited as a wideout by the Volunteers, Taylor found his way to defensive back. Spikes was with Taylor through the entirety of his transition; one Taylor was initially lukewarm to, partial to wanting the ball in his hands. But he’s had a clear sense of pragmatism – rare for a college-aged player – from a young age. Spikes and Taylor focused on receiver and defensive back in their early training days, despite Taylor being the starting quarterback for his high school team.

“He kind of knew well, before probably anyone else did, that he was going to be on one side of the ball or the other – at another position other than quarterback,” Spikes told me. “I think it broke through when he got to Tennessee, and he realized it was going to the defensive side. I’m not sure that he was happy or elated, or upset or anything, but I knew you could put Alontae anywhere and he’s going to play.”

So, Taylor became the first freshman defensive back to start the season opener for the Volunteers since 2013. Saints fans have recent familiarity with a player who made a similar switch: Paulson Adebo. And Adebo made it look absurdly easy to do so. In my time as a student with the Scouting Academy, I was surprised at the level of emphasis placed on something seemingly so basic as footwork. But it’s all but the most critical component at defensive back. And while we might see the logic in the switch from wide receiver to cornerback in terms of matchup and overlapping skill sets, there’s a big difference on the defensive end: backpedaling versus running straight.

It’s not exactly intuitive, and not as easy as some athletes make it look. There’s a necessary agility factor that gets emphasized when learning the fluidity required at the role. Even pure defensive players struggle with changing direction and agility without the proper technique. Spikes made sure to instill it in Taylor at a young age. In our conversation, I mentioned my background as a soccer player and Spikes knew I’d be familiar with ladders.

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