2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Taylor Riggins, DE, University at Buffalo

Taylor Riggins is from a little town on the outskirts of Rochester, New York called Webster. He was quite the high school athlete at Aquinas Institute, helping his team win two State Championships and three sectional Championships. He was a beast on the basketball court too, and you can see that when you break down film on him. As you know, I am a huge Buffalo Bulls fan. I have to give you that disclaimer too, because I do not want you to say I am being a homer, even though I feel he is a stud in the making. Let’s talk about Taylor and why I feel he is a future NFL player.

Riggins committed to UMass to play football but would eventually transfer home to the greatest football team in the MAC. He sat out his freshman year due to transfer rules.

As a sophomore though, Riggins would appear in all 14 games and even started two. He finished second on the team as a redshirt sophomore with 5 sacks. That is impressive, but not as impressive as last season.

Last year, Riggins tore it up! He would finish as a first team All-MAC pass rusher and ranked second in the MAC with 8.5 sacks. He finished with 50 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries. The business administration major is really starting to market himself well! Recently Jim Nagy of the Senior Bowl mentioned Riggins and his counterpart Malcolm Koonce calling them one of the best pass rusher duos in college football.

Buffalo is well known for pass rushers. I mean Khalil Mack is a player that made a living of getting to the quarterback and Demone Harris recently won a Super Bowl as a pass rusher for the Chiefs.

Well this year, both Riggins and Koonce are going to tear up the MAC. I feel bad for the opposing teams offensive line and quarterbacks. You can try to double them, but they are coming. Trust me, #HORNSUP!

NFL Draft Diamonds Scouting Notes:

I am a homer when it comes to the UB Bulls, but Taylor Riggins is a special player. He has a great first step, he has a knack of getting to the quarterback, and this year he will face double teams. He is going to have to go up against teams chipping him a lot. You can expect him to have to fight hard to get to the quarterback but still think he can finish the season with 10 plus sacks. Remember this passage and we can talk about #49 after the season. I’m calling it, two Buffalo Bulls on the defensive line will have the attention of NFL teams come April. #GetEmTaylor – Damond Talbot, NFL Draft Diamonds Owner