It took until the third day of the NFL Draft but a Texas Tech Red Raider has finally heard his name called. Safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson is headed to the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 104 overall pick (4th round).
This marks the eighth year in a row that at least one Red Raider has been drafted. Last year, the only player was Tyree Wilson, the defensive end who went No. 7 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.
It has been a somewhat improbable rise from an unheralded recruit to NFL Draft pick for Taylor-Demerson. In the class of 2019, the Oklahoma native was rated just the No. 1,956 player in the nation by 247Sports.
Interestingly enough, he played only running back in high school but was converted to safety when he arrived in Lubbock. That change proved to be a wise one as Taylor-Demerson would go on to have one of the most productive careers of any Red Raider defensive back in quite some time.
Winding up with 224 career tackles and 10 interceptions, he was the heart and soul of the Red Raider defense. He also had 33 pass defenses during his time in the scarlet and black.
A second-team All-Big 12 performer, Taylor-Demerson made a name for himself in the pre-draft process. He impressed at the East-West Shrine Bowl and then at the NFL Combine, he ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash, the fastest time of any safety who ran at the event.
All of that resulted in an opportunity with the Cardinals, a franchise that needs help in the secondary. In 2023, Arizona allowed the third most passing touchdowns in the NFL and the fourth most net yards gained by passing attempt.
However, Taylor-Demerson will get to learn the ropes by watching one of the more productive safeties in the NFL, Budda Baker. The seven-year pro has made 737 tackles and seven picks during his career.
On the other hand, Baker may be nearing the end of his run. Last season, he managed to start only 12 games and he had no interceptions in 2023.
Might it be the time for Taylor-Demerson to push for an immediate role in the Arizona secondary? Perhaps so but if not, he could be in line to be a key figure for the Cardinals in the future.
This is a great spot for Taylor-Demerson to land in. Arizona is a team in the middle of a huge rebuild so it will likely value young players and give them chances to make a difference.
Everyone who watched Taylor-Demerson in Lubbock is confident that he has the physical and mental makeup to play on Sundays. Now, he's going to have that opportunity and there's no doubt he'll make the most of it.