NFL CAREER – Selected by New Orleans in the second round (49th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, Taylor had an impressive rookie season. After spending his first two games primaily on special teams and missing Weeks 3-5 due to a knee injury, the talented rookie cornerback returned to start nine of the remaining 11 games, posting 45 tackles (38 solo), one stop for loss and a club-best 11 passes defensed, while adding a special teams coverage stop.
TRANSACTIONS – Activated from Injured Reserve, 10/20/22; Placed on Injured Reserve, 9/24/22; Signed a four year contract, 7/19/22; selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft (49th overall).
2022 – Appeared in 13 games with nine starts for the Saints, finishing with 45 tackles (38 solo), one stop for loss and a club-best 11 passes defensed while adding a special teams tackle. Pass defense total ranked fourth among NFL rookies and was only fourth Saints rookie to lead the team (Saints did not track statistic before 1980)…In season-opening win at Atlanta, Sept. 11, made his NFL debut on special teams…Vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 18, recorded a pass defense in first NFL defensive action…Placed on Injured Reserve for next four games (knee)…At Arizona, Oct. 20, recorded first NFL start at LCB and posted three solo tackles…Vs. Las Vegas, Oct. 30, started at RCB and registered three solo tackles and a career-high/game-high tying three passes defensed in 24-0 shutout…Vs. Baltimore, Nov. 7, started at RCB and recorded five tackles (three solo) and a pass deflected…At Pittsburgh, Nov. 13, started at RCB and posted a career-high six solo tackles…Vs. L.A. Rams, Nov. 20, started at RCB and finished with five solo tackles and a pass defensed…At San Francisco, Nov. 27, recorded four tackles (three solo)...At Tampa Bay, Dec. 5, started at nickel CB and recorded a career-high eight tackles (career-high tying six solo) and one pass defensed…Vs. Atlanta, Dec. 18, started at CB and finished with four solo tackles and tied career-high with three passes defensed…At Cleveland, Dec. 24, started and recorded five tackles (three solo) and a pass defense as defense surrendered 135 net passing yards…At Philadelphia, 1/1/23, played on special teams…Vs. Carolina, 1/8/23, started at LCB, recording two solo tackles as New Orleans surrendered only 32 net passing yards, the sixth lowest total by a Saints opponent all-time and QB Sam Darnold managed only a 2.8 passer rating, the lowest an opposing quarterback (min. ten att.) had against the Saints all-time.
COLLEGE CAREER – Only began playing cornerback as a freshman at Tennessee after playing quarterback in high school and starting his college career at wide receiver. He took to the secondary and special teams quickly, playing in 45 games with 31 starts and finishing his college career with totals of 162 tackles (115 solo), a split sack, five stops for loss, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, four interceptions, one returned 56 yards for a TD, 17 passes defensed and one blocked punt…As a senior in 2021, proved to be one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC, when he started all 12 games of the regular season and had a career-best 60 tackles, six passes defensed, two interceptions, an additional pick on a two-point conversion attempt and a forced fumble to be selected fourth-team All-SEC (Phil Steele)...As a junior in 2020, appeared in eight games and made five starts at cornerback despite battling a hamstring injury much of the season. Finished the season with 29 tackles, two tackles for loss, five passes defended and an interception. Earned Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll accolades for the second straight year, as well as being voted by his peers to the first of two terms as the vice chair of the SEC Football Leadership Council, where he would end up being instrumental as a student voice in helping the SEC return to play during the Covid-19 pandemic…As a sophomore in 2019, saw action in all 13 games with six starts at cornerback and finished the season with 33 tackles, one interception, one split sack and four passes defensed. Presented the John Stucky Award at team's postseason banquet and was a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll…As a freshman in 2018, played in all 12 games with eight starts as he became Tennessee's first true freshman DB to start an opener since 2013 against West Virginia, posting 40 tackles (28 solo), one stop for loss, two forced fumbles, two breakups, one fumble recovery for a touchdown and one blocked kick…Graduated with a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies.
PERSONAL - Rated a four-star prospect and a consensus top 10 recruit in Tennessee out of Coffee County (Manchester, Tenn.) HS…Member of the ESPN 300…Invited to play in the 2018 Under Armour All-American Game…Played in the 2017 Toyota East West TN Football All-Star Classic – named MVP of the East Team after throwing the game-winning touchdown on a double-pass…Made 2017 Tennessee Sportswriters Association Class 6A All-State team and earned Region 3-6A Athlete of the Year honors that season as well…Tallied 8,225 yards of total offense and 75 TDs during four-year career at QB…For the league's "My Cause, My Cleats" promotion, wore specially designed cleats to support the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)…Says his late grandmother, Ginger Irene Burnett Reese, was his biggest motivator…Grew up playing baseball, basketball and football but focused solely on football after freshman year of high school…Dreams to visit Africa…Originally from Winchester, Tenn., but moved to nearby Manchester in fourth grade…Twitter handle is @taeetaylor and Instagram handle is @alontaeetaylor…Alontae Devaun Taylor was born on Dec. 3, 1998.
