Taylor Rapp may not have ended up as a 1st round pick but he’s officially an NFL player now after being taken by the Los Angeles Rams with the 29th pick in the 2nd round (61st overall). Rapp becomes the 2nd Husky safety in the past 3 drafts to be taken in the 2nd round joining Budda Baker who went 36th overall in the 2017 draft. Coming into this past season Rapp was viewed as one of if not the best safety prospect in the country. He certainly lived up to the hype on the field as he was named 1st team all Pac-12 and either a 1st team or 2nd team All-American by almost every outlet. Rapp finished 2018 with 59 tackles, 5 sacks, and 2 INTs but missed the Rose Bowl due to a hip injury. Unfortunately for Taylor, the hip injury was an issue in pre-draft workouts and a 4.78 40-yard dash caused him to drop to a fringe 2nd/3rd round prospect on many draft boards. However, Rapp’s functional playing speed is clearly much better than his straight line speed and it seems difficult to imagine he won’t be an incredibly productive NFL player with his combination of elite coverage skills and sound tackling. You can check out our interview with Taylor from earlier this week here. Congrats to Taylor and we look forward to seeing him represent the UW in the NFL for many years to come!<doc-sep>Taylor Rapp, a 6-foot, 208-pound safety from Washington, was taken with the 61st overall pick in the second round by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2019 NFL Draft. Rapp, who had one more season of eligibility left at Washington, declared his intentions to turn professional the day after the Huskies lost to Ohio State in the 2019 Rose Bowl. Rapp also follows what has now become a bi-yearly tradition for the Huskies when it comes to their defensive backs. In the off-years for the past six seasons, at least one Washington secondary player has been picked in either the first or second rounds. In 2013, Desmond Trufant went No. 22 overall to Atlanta. In 2015, Marcus Peters went to Kansas City with the No. 18 overall pick. In 2017, Washington saw three of their defensive backs go in the second round: Kevin King to Green Bay, Budda Baker to Arizona, and Sidney Jones to Philadelphia. Rapp's UW secondary teammate Byron Murphy was taken 33rd overall by Arizona in the second round. The Huskies have also had two other players already drafted: Kaleb McGary in the first round to Atlanta and Drew Sample in the second round to Cincinnati. From NFL.com: "Rapp's family has Chinese ancestry, but he is a dual citizen between the United States and Canada. He promised his brother, Austin, that he would play major college football -- a promise that has been fulfilled. He was an All-Washington pick from Bellingham that earned top 25 safety recruit grades from scouting services. Rapp broke his left hand in spring practices his freshman year, but played with a cast. That toughness impressed on coaches his willingness to fight through adversity, and he eventually won a starting role on defense in 10 of 14 games played in 2016 (53 tackles, four interceptions, two pass breakups). Rapp was the Pac-12 Championship Defensive MVP after intercepting two passes in the contest, returning one for a score. He also was named the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and a Freshman All-American for his efforts throughout the season. He started 12 of 13 games played as a sophomore, garnering first-team All-Pac-12 honors (in academics as well as on the field) and posting 59 stops, 3.5 for loss, two sacks, and an interception. Multiple All-American honors came his way in 2018, as did another first-team all-conference nod after he made plays around the line of scrimmage (59 tackles, six for loss, five sacks) and in coverage (two interceptions, five pass breakups while also finding himself around the ball (three fumble recoveries)." At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis earlier in the year, Rapp didn't run a 40 but reportedly ran one in the mid-4.7's during Washington's Pro Day. Rapp jumped 35 inches in the vertical jump, 115 inches (9 feet 7 inches) in the standing broad jump, and lifted 225 pounds 17 times in the bench press. He did run a 3.99 pro-shuttle (20-yard), 6.82 3-cone (L Drill), and a 11.33 60-yard shuttle. Here's what ESPN's Todd McShay says about Rapp, who he has as the 42nd-best player available in the draft. "Rapp's pro day 40-yard dash time (4.76) is a concern. That said, he's an instinctive safety who plays faster than his timed speed and is an excellent athlete -- his three-cone (6.82) and short shuttle (3.99) results at the combine were outstanding. Rapp tracks the ball well, has above-average ball skills and is an above-average open-field tackler."<doc-sep>Getty Images Just when it appeared the Rams might trade out of the entire draft, they finally made a pick. They selected Washington safety Taylor Rapp with the 61st overall choice. The Rams began the night with a choice in the second round (No. 45 overall) and three in the third (No. 79, 94 and 99). They traded the 45th overall pick to the Patriots for the 56th and 101st picks. They traded the 56th overall pick to Kansas City for picks 61 and 167. Finally, they found their guy in Rapp. Rapp’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, denied a report earlier Friday that Rapp has a hip flexor issue that was a concern to some teams, and the Rams obviously believed in Rapp’s long-term health with his selection.<doc-sep>With the 61st pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected Washington safety Taylor Rapp. Rapp isn’t a stellar athlete as a strong safety, but he offers a lot of value in run support. He is one of the best tackling defensive backs in this year’s class, as he has the strength in his frame to consistently bring down ball carriers. He also takes good pursuit angles to ball carriers, and he has good instincts as a tackler. Though not incredibly rangy, he has solid hip fluidity when covering tight ends and some running backs. The Rams have a lot of talent on their roster, and they added even more of it by selecting Rapp. He is a hard-hitting safety who will boost their secondary.<doc-sep>
The Rams have finally made a pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, selecting Washington Safety Taylor Rapp. Here is the breakdown of the pick. After watching 60 other names get called by other teams, the Los Angeles Rams finally sent a representative to the podium themselves on Friday. Seven-time Pro-Bowler Orlando Pace was the iconic Ram asked to announce the pick, and with the selection, the NFC champions took Washington Safety Taylor Rapp. Without question, Rapp was definitely one of the best players left on the board, and it’s hard to disagree with Los Angeles for taking a risk on him. Dane Brugler had him as his second-ranked safety overall, putting him over players like Darnell Savage (who went first round) and Jonathan Abram (drafted on Day 2). Rapp is a physical ball hawk who has a high football IQ, all elements that make him a fit for Sean McVay‘s team. His downside is that he has below average speed for a safety, running a 4.78 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. Safety may seem like a bit of a luxury pick since the Rams have John Johnson and Eric Weddle, who they signed this offseason slotted to start. But Rapp may have been the best prayer left, and taking the best player available is a recipe for winning football games. With a lot of picks left, they have the opportunity to fill needs in good time, so there’s no reason to panic over this selection of Rapp. For now, they add a quality football player in Rapp to their defensive back room that has the potential to work out for the best in the long run. Moving on from Lamarcus Joyner in the offseason wasn’t the easiest decision in the world by the Rams, but from a financial standpoint, it was certainly the right move to help them address other areas. Plus, the argument can be made that if Joyner were still around, Los Angeles never would have considered Rapp in the second round at No. 61, so in a way everything happens for a reason, right? Even if Rapp needed a little extra time to develop as a rookie while adjusting to playing at the NFL level, the good news for the Rams is they’re in great position to allow this to happen if necessary thanks to the Weddle signing, as discussed before.