By Brendan Preisman
Medill Reports

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When New England Patriots defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III blocked Denver Broncos kicker Will Lutz’s 45-yard field goal attempt to help preserve the Patriots’ 13-10 lead in the AFC championship game, it shocked the Broncos crowd at Empower Field at Mile High. But not New England’s sideline.

“Him coming off the ball … we showed him the tape after the (Chargers) game and said, ‘Bro, you just keep doing this, you’re gonna get your hand on the ball,” Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer said. “I said, ‘Bro, just believe it and trust it.’”

That belief in Taylor originates at Miami Palmetto Senior High School, where he starred for head coach Mike Manasco. Manasco says there were occasions when his staff would pull Taylor off of the practice field because he was blowing up every offensive play. Taylor also blocked several kicks during his high school career, including a field goal in the state semifinals during his senior season.

“He’s a generational type of kid,” Manasco said. “There’s not many things Leonard can do on a football field that would surprise any of us down here.”

But Taylor’s gameday heroics are only possible thanks to his practice field work. On Oct. 14, he was released by the New York Jets. The Patriots added him to their practice squad two days later. Even at the start of January, the defensive tackle was still buried on the practice squad. However, Taylor’s sheer talent — combined with a dogged determination — made his promotion to the active roster a necessity. 

“He’s got natural football to him. He finds ways to make plays,” Patriots defensive line coach Clinton McMillan said. “The thing I was most excited about is how he dug into the work. He’s worked harder, and it’s paid dividends for him.”

For Taylor, effort decides his in-game battles as well. In both defensive line and special teams work, he’ll typically match up one-on-one with opposing players. And he does not want to lose those individual battles.

“Just beat the man in front of you. If you beat him, keep hitting him over and over, he’s finally gonna give up,” Taylor explained when asked how he pushes through the opponent’s offensive line. “And I feel like that’s what happened.”

But in addition to his imposing stature — 6 feet, 3 inches tall, 305 pounds — and physicality, Taylor has a secret weapon: his speed. 

“He has the quickest first step off the ball,” Manasco explained. “If that was a legitimate timed thing, I think that he would probably be in the top three in the NFL on his first step. That’s how quick he is.”

That speed and timing are evident on replay of Taylor’s game-saving block in Denver. In a slow-motion replay of the kick, Taylor begins his jump a full second before Will Lutz’s foot makes contact with the ball. Despite his size, that explosive first step has always been a part of Taylor’s game.

“It’s really just second nature to me,” Taylor said with a chuckle. “Sometimes I’ll be moving so fast, I surprise myself.”

But his big play didn’t surprise fellow defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who claims to have had advanced knowledge of the block.

“I was really happy for that man. I was really excited because he timed it,” Barmore said. “He told me that he was going to block it, and he did it.”

Thanks to his confidence and drive, Taylor quickly earned support from the Patriots coaches, especially McMillan, who saw Taylor’s high school stardom up close while working on Florida State’s staff in 2020.

“It’s exciting when you get a player that you know has physical ability,” McMillan said. “He’s a massive part of why we’re here, but that’s because of him. His ability to take advantage has been outstanding.”

For Taylor, that support from the coaching staff has been invaluable. After he went undrafted, his Jets tenure was filled with coaching turmoil and constant lineup shuffling. Since arriving  in New England, he’s found a much more welcoming system — a system that’s had him on the active roster for every playoff game. 

“That’s all you need. You need somebody to believe in you and really just give you the opportunity,” Taylor said. “That’s what I felt like has been happening here.”

Taylor got his opportunity against Denver and took full advantage of it. Now his team is 60 minutes away from winning the Super Bowl. It may seem a bit surprising a man who played in just three regular season games has been so crucial to the Patriots’ playoff run. But it’s not surprising to Taylor — or to the coaches who believe in him.

“He’s a winner. He’s used to being a deciding factor in games,” Manasco said. “He loves those moments. Those are the moments that he plays for.”

Brendan Preisman is a sports media specialization graduate student at Medill.