Former Miami Dolphins defensive star Jason Taylor had a pretty standard road to the pros -- a three-year starter at Div. I Akron followed by a third-round pick in the NFL draft.
His younger brother Noah, however, is hiking the road less traveled.
"I didn’t take the traditional route of going to a big school and all of that jazz that goes with that," Noah said recently, via MiamiDolphins.com. "But there are some guys from big schools that think just because they went to a Big Ten or SEC or ACC school all they have to do is walk in and the scouts will be all over them.
"One thing that I definitely think I bring to the table is hard work and leadership and leading by example and never being a problem on or off the field. … I think me being a more well-rounded individual will get me further."
That non-traditional journey started at the small D-I school of Youngstown State University before a move to D-II California University in Pennsylvania. At 24 years of age and aiming to prove the injuries he's faced are in the past, Noah worked out at the league's Regional Combine in Baltimore a little more than a week ago, with the hope he could catch the eyes of some scouts and earn himself some pre-draft invites.
"It’s a different kind of training getting ready for these combines and workouts," he said. "It’s getting you strong but it’s getting you strong for those specific drills and activities, so hopefully after all this stuff settles down I’ll be able to get back to more of the football conditioning and the football strength so that way when the season comes around I’m ready to hit the ground running."
Noah finished his senior season with 60 total tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery following a switch to interior lineman. In 2012, he started two games and tallied 2.5 sacks at defensive end.
Moving forward, he'll be looking to shake the shadow of his older brother. But at the same time, he doesn't want to let his family acumen stray too far.
"It’s one of those things that you’re always going to have to deal with," the younger Taylor said. "I mean Eli Manning, even when he was coming out he was looked at as Peyton Manning’s little brother and he eventually had to start making his own name and it’s rough.
Noah finished his senior season with 60 total tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery following a switch to interior lineman. In 2012, he started two games and tallied 2.5 sacks at defensive end.
Moving forward, he'll be looking to shake the shadow of his older brother. But at the same time, he doesn't want to let his family acumen stray too far.
"It’s one of those things that you’re always going to have to deal with," the younger Taylor said. "I mean Eli Manning, even when he was coming out he was looked at as Peyton Manning’s little brother and he eventually had to start making his own name and it’s rough.
"But it’s not that bad. It’s something where you want to separate yourself but at the same time stay pretty close to it."
