Darrell Taylor accepts an invitation to the 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl

It’s official. Darrell Taylor will play in the 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl after accepting an invite on Monday.

The 6-foot-4, 255-pound edge rusher was placed on the 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list before the 2019 season kicked off after leading the team with eight sacks in 2018. He was also voted the team’s MVP that year.

Tennessee’s senior linebacker currently leads the team and the SEC with seven sacks on the year. Taylor has a sack in four of his last five games and made PFF’s SEC Defensive Team of the Week after his performances against Mississippi State and South Carolina. He also has 36 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, four passes defensed, and a forced fumble on the season.

Taylor redshirted in 2015, then sat behind Derek Barnett and others in 2016. He notched three sacks as a starter in 2017, but has taken off over the last two years.

With at least two games remaining, Taylor has a chance to improve these numbers, especially against two teams that struggle in pass protection. The Senior Bowl is a prime opportunity for college players to show what they can do in front of NFL scouts, coaches, GMs, etc. It’s not just planned workouts and drills, either. The players get a chance to represent themselves in live-game action, which holds more weight than anything when it comes to the scouting process.

There’s no reason to think Taylor won’t be able to turn heads in Mobile. The dude is uber-talented and knows how to get the quarterback.

Tennessee didn’t have a single player drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, but Taylor should change that in 2020.

Congratulations, Darrell and good luck!