Wisconsin Football: Ex-Badger AJ Taylor Works Out with Packers

Former Wisconsin football wide receiver, A.J. Taylor, was one of six players to work out for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

As is common practice in the NFL, once a week, teams will bring in a few free agents for workouts to see if there is anyone worth signing. And just this past Sunday, the Green Bay Packers had former Wisconsin Football receiver, A.J. Taylor, in as one of six participants.

Taylor went undrafted a few months back and has been recovering from an Achilles tear that occurred in Wisconsin’s final regular-season game of the year against Minnesota. Whether or not Taylor is signed by the Packers, the good news in all of this is that he is healthy and getting a shot at an NFL roster.

During his final three seasons with the Badgers, Taylor would appear in 37 games, haul in 86 receptions for 1,263 yards at 14.7 yards per catch with 10 touchdowns. His most productive year as a receiver came as a junior in 2018 with 521 yards through the air at 16.3 yards per catch.

Taylor also has some experience out of the backfield and as a kick return man, although he didn’t return any kicks during his final two years at Madison.

For a closer look at Taylor’s game and how he projects to the NFL, here is what Owen Riese of Bucky’s 5th Quarter and Packer Report had to say in his pre-draft scouting report:

"“Taylor is an interesting prospect from a skill set standpoint. A running back build at the receiver position, his main skills are as a ball-in-hand player. He’s not a burner, but isn’t slow in the open field. Played both outside and in the slot for Wisconsin, used on some jet sweeps as well.Taylor, to me, is a poor man’s Deebo Samuel, or that type/style of player. He’s a guy who is tough to bring down with arm tackles due to his running back background and his body type. He’s still a bit raw as a receiver, but has ability and should be able to find his way into a camp in some capacity when he’s healthy. He has return experience as well.”"

Coming off an injury late in the college season and coupling that with being an undrafted free agent in an offseason with no OTAs, no mini-camps, and no preseason games, really makes Taylor’s journey to an NFL roster an uphill battle.

With that said, when it comes to the Green Bay Packers, there are several question marks surrounding their receiver position, and they’ve already brought in receivers Travis Fulgham – who has since been released – and Malik Turner.

After bringing in six free agents last week for workouts, the Packers didn’t make any signings. So, for now, we will wait and see if Taylor is able to stick.