Todd McShay spotlights Mason Taylor, Jared Verse in LSU vs Florida State
Todd McShay believes two unheralded athletes from both Florida State and LSU could make some noise in the NFL.
Following Sunday’s showdown, the ESPN NFL Draft guru spotlighting Tigers tight end Mason Taylor and Seminoles pass rusher Jared Verse as two players he can’t wait to watch develop over the 2022 season.
“Two players I can’t wait to see develop this season from tonight’s game: LSU freshman TE Mason Taylor (Jason Taylor’s son) and FSU junior EDGE Jared Verse (transfer from Albany… great on FSU discovering him!),” tweeted McShay. “Both guys are future impact NFL players.”
First, Taylor — the son of NFL legend Jason Taylor, as McShay mentioned — was a three-star recruit out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to the On3 Consensus. Additionally, Taylor was the No. 36 tight end recruit in the Class of 2022, as well as the No. 85 recruit out of Florida, and the No. 620 recruit overall nationally.
In his first game with the Tigers on Sunday, Taylor impressed — catching five passes for 42 yards during the game. Moving forward, he figures to carve out a role on a crowded LSU offense, forcing the hand of the program.
As for Verse, his path was a little less straight forward. A member of the Class of 2019, he played his college football at a little known program known as Albany, transferring to Florida State this offseason. As McShay mentions, Mike Norvell and company deserve immense credit for bringing him to Tallahassee, as he now figures to be an impact player for the Seminoles.
During his first game in Week 0 for the Seminoles, Verse recorded a sack, along with four tackles. Against LSU, his presence was felt once again — gaining two more sacks on the season against stout SEC competition.
On Sunday, Taylor and the Tigers got bested by the Seminoles, as Florida State was able to withstand a furious comeback from their opponents while securing a 24-23 victory. It was a heartbreaker for LSU, but at least there’s plenty of football to be played for both squads.
Nevertheless, Mason Taylor and Jared Verse made their names known on Sunday, and the hype will only grow if Todd McShay is correct about them.