Trent Taylor Fantasy News and Statistics

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Trent Taylor might only stand 5-foot-8, but that lack of height did not stop him from developing into a quality NFL player. He shined during his high school football career in Louisiana and ended up committing in-state to play for Louisiana Tech University.

Taylor was able to immediately become one of the Bulldogs’ regular wide receivers in his first season with the team. The Bulldogs had six players that made over 25 catches but less than 40 grabs, so there was not a singular standout at the position, allowing for multiple players to contribute on offense. This worked out well for the young Taylor as he made 28 catches for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Since he was a younger player in that mix, he was positioned to break out in the near future.

The following season, Taylor emerged as the No. 1 wide receiver from that crowded crop. He also benefited from having Cody Sokol, who threw 30 touchdown passes and just 13 interceptions from the quarterback position that season. Taylor had a pair of 100-yard games as a sophomore, but his top performance came against Western Kentucky when he made nine catches for 113 yards and three touchdowns.

It should come as no surprise that Taylor excelled yet again as a junior in 2015. The team had to replace Sokol, but it still fielded a prolific quarterback with Jeff Driskel, who threw for over 4,000 yards. Since Taylor showed what he could do the previous season, he earned an even bigger role as Driskel often looked to throw deep passes to him. Taylor had seven 100-yard games during his junior year and had 10 catches or more in five of those contests. He finished the season with 99 catches for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns.

For the third straight year, Louisiana Tech started a different quarterback. But once again there was no offensive dropoff in production. In 2016, Ryan Higgins was the team’s primary quarterback, and he tossed 41 touchdown passes and racked up 4,617 yards. As a team, it threw for over 5,000 total yards. And a big reason for that success through the air was Taylor.

He surpassed 100 receiving yards on 11 separate occasions, and he saved his best performance for the finale. In the Armed Forces Bowl, he made 12 catches for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a win over Navy. Taylor was named MVP in that game and finished the year with 136 catches for 1,803 yards and 12 scores.

Following his standout college football career, Taylor was selected in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

As a rookie, Taylor proved he could be productive despite his inexperience. He ended up serving as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver behind Marquise Goodwin when Pierre Garcon was injured. Taylor’s first standout performance came when he made six catches on as many targets for 92 yards in a 15-14 win over the Chicago Bears. With Jimmy Garoppolo giving the 49ers an upgrade at quarterback late in the season, there is reason to believe Taylor’s production will increase in 2018. Plus, he will be more comfortable with the offense after coming off of a quality rookie season.