Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback and current scout Ike Taylor led Alabama defensive backs through drills Wednesday during the Crimson Tide’s Pro Day. With most of the Steelers’ decision-makers posted up at Ohio State, Taylor had boots on the ground in Tuscaloosa.
WVUA’s J.D. Zasa shared a clip of Taylor leading the drills.
As Zasa notes, the two prospects going through the workout are CBs Domani Jackson and DaShawn Jones. Jackson is well-built at 6010, 194 pounds with a 4.41 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Experienced with 34 collegiate starts, he notched 126 tackles, 12 interceptions, and two interceptions throughout his career. In 2025, he recorded 39 tackles with one pass breakup.
Our Ross McCorkle broke down his tape, highlighting his physicality at the line of scrimmage to pair with his physical traits. Negatively, he was slow to react to the ball and can get locked onto the quarterback instead. There’s also stiffness in his turn. Overall, we concluded:
“He has the size, length, athleticism, and flashes in his tape to develop into a starter, but he would get exposed by NFL offenses in his current form. He needs to work on his pursuit angles, eye discipline, and lateral footwork on breaking routes before he can be trusted in an NFL defense. Jackson is much closer to his floor right now than his ceiling, and he was nearly benched during his senior season after a rough stretch of play. If he develops well, there is definitely something there to work with, but he needs a lot of work in many areas.”
And compared him to former Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, whose career has been defined by up-and-down play. Jackson is currently projected as a late Day Three draft pick.
Jones spent his first three years at Wake Forest before spending his final two seasons at Alabama. In 2025, he tallied 20 tackles with two pass breakups and an interception returned for a touchdown against South Carolina.
For his career, Jones broke up 11 passes with four interceptions. Jones wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine but is a listed 6-0, 190 pounds with his official weigh-in occurring during today’s workout. He’s a late Day Three-undrafted candidate.
Taylor spent 12 years in the NFL, all with the Steelers. He transitioned into scouting and has worked in Pittsburgh’s front office for several years. He’s not officially listed on the team website but he generally covers prospects in the south and works closely with defensive backs, a logical fit given his background.
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