Taylor Marini Commits to Rutgers

Tight End Taylor Marini of Lake Mary High School (Lake Mary, Florida) became the tenth member of Rutgers' 2013 recruiting class, earlier this week. Marini made an unofficial visit to Rutgers last week, and he offered his commitment to the Knights on Wednesday, after completing a tour of eight colleges. He had 2 receptions for 44 yards and a TD for the Rams last season.

Measurables: 6'4'' 230 lbs 4.82 40 yd dash

Stars:

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
3 star Tight End	2 stars, #55 TE	3 stars,  #32 TE, #177 in FL	3 stars

Offer Sheet: FIU, Louisville, UMass, Memphis, Minnesota, South Florida, Temple, and UCF all offered him a scholarship.

Scouting Report: Marini has very good size and enough athleticism for the tight end position. As a blocker he has good technique, firing out low and keeping leverage with a nice, wide base, solid hand placement and knee bend. He is not overly dominant at the point of attack, but he does deliver crushing down blocks, and block the second level effectively. He keeps his feet driving through the whistle, and this allows him to rack up a decent amount of pancakes. He has good feet and moves well, but he needs to improve the angles he takes on his blocks. He is not very experienced as a receiver, recording only 2 receptions in his career, but he seems to have good hands, and he catches the ball away from his body. He is a big target who runs well and has long strides, so he should be able to stretch the seam and be a threat after the catch.

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My Take: Marini gives Rutgers another commit at a position they sorely need to address in this recruiting class. He is a good blocker and an interesting athlete who I believe can develop into a legitimate receiving threat. This is Kyle Flood's first commitment from the Sunshine State, so it's nice to see RU maintain their presence in the area in the post Schiano era. Marini also has the ability to long snap, which is under rated, since other schools have been offering long snap only prospects scholarships lately.