Taylor Sele to become Redskin

Taylor Sele approached the NFL Draft with cautious optimistism. The former Boston College wide receiver and standout special teams player didn’t put up major numbers at the Atlantic Coast Conference school - just 27 receptions for 296 yards with an average of 10.9 per catch - but registered eye-popping times in the 40-yard-dash and vertical leap at the school’s Pro Day, wowing several scouts in attendance.
Although he wasn’t selected over the weekend, as the end of the seventh and final round neared, a half dozen teams started dialing up his agent, Harry Sherr, expressing interest in the 6-foot, 197-pound speed demon. Sele settled on the Washington Redskins, who offered him a three-year contract with a small signing bonus.
“I’m very, very excited,” the Richmond Hill native and former Queens Falcon said. “It seems to be a great opportunity and it’s a situation where I can go in and compete - utilize my skills.”
The Redskins only had five draft selections and signed just 10 rookie free agents - with just one wide receiver other than Sele of all their college players - so there is obviously an opening for him to make the opening-day roster.
“All the teams I spoke with, you look for a situation you can go in and compete for a spot on the roster, contribute on special teams,” he said. “All I’m asking for is a look. … I feel like it was my best chance to showcase my skills.”
“We thought that with Taylor’s talent,” Sherr said, “there’s a good shot he can make the roster.”
Sele, who will report for three-day rookie mini-camp Friday, never felt like he got a fair chance at Boston College. A month before he arrived in Chestnut Hill, his older brother Josiah, at the time 26, was murdered in a case of road rage, and Sele arrived out of shape, never able to work his way back into his coach’s good graces. Now, four years later, with Josiah’s memory still in his mind, but now serving as motivation, he is ready to take on the next challenge.
“It’s an opportunity,” he said. “I’m eager. It really does not matter it’s the NFL. I’m not going to be nervous at all. This is a blessing. Now I’m coming to camp in shape, I know what to expect. I am coming in to camp in great shape. I don’t expect to be surprised like I was coming into college.”