Branson Taylor Becomes First Pitt Selection in 2025 NFL Draft

The past six months have not been easy for Pitt offensive lineman Branson Taylor, which makes the moment he was selected in the 2025 NFL Draft that much sweeter.

Taylor was drafted in the sixth round, 199th overall, by the Los Angeles Chargers.

LA Bound! ⚡️

Branson Taylor // Round 6 // Pick 199@btay1k | @chargers #H2P ➡️ @NFLDraft ➡️ @NFL pic.twitter.com/dc9a7BQaYK

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) April 26, 2025

With Taylor’s selection, it becomes the third consecutive year that Pitt has produced an offensive tackle draftee with Matt Goncalves in 2024 and Carter Warren the year prior.

Taylor suffered a lateral meniscus injury against Cal in October which put an end to his collegiate career. Upon declaring for the draft, Taylor was invited the the NFL Scouting Combine. While he was in attendance, he did not workout as he was still in the midst of his recovery.

That made the Pitt pro day workout that much more important. Taylor, who measured at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds, clocked an unofficial 5.26 40-yards dash, 7.34 three-cone and 4.62 shuttle. He also benched 25 reps, posted a vertical jump of 28 1/2 inches and an 8-foot 8-inch broad jump.

“This was definitely an important day just to show them I’m back healthy,” Taylor said after his pro day workout. “Felt pretty good, felt pretty confident. I think I turned some heads today and felt good.”

Prior to his injury, Taylor was a key piece of the Panthers offense as a captain and an anchor on the left side. He started six games for the Panthers, allowing just two sacks and nine total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

He started in 11 games during the 2023 season, with three starts at right tackle before transitioning to left tackle after Goncalves was injured, where he would start eight games.

In 2022, Taylor played in all 13 games with four starts at right tackle. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in 12 games as a reserve tackle.

“I loved everything about Pitt,” Taylor told Pittsburgh Sports Now earlier this week. “I had to work for my starting spot, which was good and didn’t think of leaving when things weren’t going my way. I enjoyed my time with Coach Narduzzi and my with offensive line coaches.

“It was great, I was named a captain, was a starter, won an ACC Championship, played in a New Year’s Six bowl game. I loved Pitt.”