The LA Chargers selected Wake Forest defensive back Ja'Sir Taylor with the 214th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Taylor did not compete at the NFL Combine and as a late-round pick, may not have been a name that many fans were familiar with when his name was called in the sixth round.
Taylor recently sat down with Charger Chat, the exclusive LA Chargers podcast of the FanSided Podcast Network, and discussed a wide array of topics from his experience in the 2022 NFL Draft, his background prior to joining Wake Forest and his expectations for himself and the Chargers in his rookie season. You can check out the podcast in the player embedded below, on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Key takeaways about Chargers' rookie Ja'Sir Taylor:
Ja'Sir Taylor knew about the Brandon Staley hype before becoming a Charger
It is no secret to Chargers fans that Brandon Staley has changed the culture of this team since he was hired prior to the 2020 season. While Taylor is just getting his feet wet in experiencing this new Chargers culture, he was already familiar with the hype around Staley as the head coach of the Chargers.
Taylor explained in the interview that one of his close friends is a Chargers fans and would constantly talk about Staley in their group chat. Now, Taylor gets to first-hand experience the hype around Staley and maybe hook his friend up with some tickets as well.
Ja'Sir Taylor did not originally expect to be a defensive player
Ja'Sir Taylor was an offensive player in high school and did not envision himself to be a defensive player at the next level until Wake Forest came along. According to Taylor, Wake Forest first showed interest shortly before signing day and envisioned Taylor as a cornerback, not an offensive player.
Taylor then played a game at cornerback per Wake Forest's request and recorded an interception in his first game.
Ja'Sir Taylor opens up about draft process, cheering when other corners were taken
This interview does a great job of getting into the mind of a late-round prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. Taylor knew that if he was going to be taken in the draft that he would be taken on day three but even then, it was not a guarantee.
Despite them being his competition, Taylor explained that he was actually cheering every single time another team took a cornerback as it meant that there was one less corner on the board ahead of him, increasing his chances of getting selected.
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There is so much more in this interview and the episode as a whole as the Charger Chat guys did a tremendous job. Be sure to check them out for all of your audio Chargers content!