Cardinals Rough Draft: S Michael Taaffe

In the meantime, does the safety room need another capable body?

Michael Taaffe is also a highly-regarded safety. He is a smart kid with good awareness on the field, most likely at strong safety. He is a guy who can come in and instantly compete for the open starting job next to Delpit.

Defensive backs coach Cristian Garcis has consistently valued instinctive, physical defensive backs who can operate in multiple roles. All of this represents Taaffe.

S Michael Taaffe

Draft projection: Round 5

Cardinals pick: #143

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Specifics:

College: Texas

Height: 6’-0”

Weight: 189 pounds

40-time: 4.5

Career Tackles: 222

Career Forced Fumbles: 1

Career Sacks: 3

**Career Tackles for Loss:**9.5

Interceptions: 7

Career Pass Defenses: 14

Career games: 53

Accolades: First Team All-American, First Team All-SEC, Second Team All-American (2024), Wuerffel Trophy winner

Positives:

• Tremendous coverage skills
• Great anticipation rather than being physical
• Natural ball tracking
• Seven career picks, so he knows how to find the ball
• Versatility in that he can play box, free safety, and in the slot
• Genuine coachability
• Superior special teams guy
• Leader
• Shows up in big games

Negatives:

• Athletic limitations
• Bit undersized
• Bigger tight ends an issue
• Not able to take on offensive linemen
• Too many missed tackles
• Will overrun pursuit angles
• Limited recovery speed

Expert Draft Site Analysis

Bucs Wire

Taaffe brings a unique and experienced profile to this draft class, appearing in over 50 career games while developing into a key contributor in Texas’ secondary. A former walk-on who earned his role, Taaffe steadily worked his way into a starting position and became one of the more reliable defensive backs on the roster. Taaffe continued to contribute, making plays across multiple phases of the defense, including interceptions, tackles for loss, and consistent involvement in the run game before dealing with injury late in the season. Across his career, Taaffe has consistently shown the ability to produce in big moments, including interceptions in key games and strong performances against high-level competition.