Jake Taylor is the lacrosse equivalent of a red-zone receiver: sure hands, perfect timing to get open off-ball and a knack for crushing hopes from inside five yards. 

Taylor is the best inside scorer in the 2025 College Draft presented by Q-Collar and is listed as the eighth-best player on Paul Carcaterra’s Big Board. The PLL’s Adam Lamberti ranks Taylor as the sixth-best prospect in the 2025 class, and Inside Lacrosse’s Kevin Brown has him posted at 10th. 

Taylor is the kind of player a coach can trust without hesitation. He moves without the ball like he’s wired into the offense, finds seams others can’t see and finishes with ice in his veins.

At 6 feet, 215 pounds, Taylor has a sturdy base and solid center of gravity, making him difficult to manipulate from the crease and high-danger scoring areas. 

In the right offense, Taylor can score 20-plus goals a year nonchalantly. He’s not going to be an efficient distributor, but his goal-scoring abilities wipe away any feeding worries. The beauty in his scoring ability is the offense doesn’t need to be schemed around him; he can scheme himself into any situation because he possesses great spatial awareness and IQ. 

You don’t watch Jake Taylor — you rewind him. Every game comes with a “did you see that?” moment. 

Taylor is averaging 2.36 goals per game in his final season with Notre Dame, and it’s not all catch-and-release inside. He’s a pure goal-scorer who will find a way to torch nylon regardless of his finishing method.

He isn’t afraid to crash the crease for rebounds like a prime Dennis Rodman in the offensive paint, and his flair doesn’t stem from colorful hair; it’s in the form of colorful finishes. 

A few teams could use a great finisher to help their offense. The biggest question is: Who’s the best fit for Taylor? Playing in an offense that lacks an elite feeder to work the ball inside to Taylor would limit his effectiveness. 

He’s the type of player who makes a general manager's mouth water, but also a guy you can’t go after without proper pieces around him. On May 6, we’ll find out who secures the next elite inside scorer. 

Jake Taylor’s Player Comparison:

Wes Berg’s efficiency with Jay Carlson’s creativity

Taylor captures Berg’s high efficiency, off-ball intelligence and clutch scoring, paired with Carlson’s creative flair, toughness and crease-finishing prowess. Together, Berg and Carlson encapsulate Taylor’s essence: A smart, flair-driven finisher who maximizes shots and thrives under pressure.

Lewis’s projected draft pick: No. 10 to the California Redwoods

On the Mitchell Pelke Lacrosse Show, new Redwoods general manager Joe Spallina talked about the need for California to add impact players, and Taylor fits that bill. 

Brendan Nichtern, acquired in an offseason trade to be the Redwoods' presumptive X attackman, could be the perfect complement for Taylor’s inside finishing ability. Nichtern’s 22 assists during his rookie campaign of 2022 were tied for second in the league with Rob Pannell and helped earn him the Rookie of the Year award. 

Spallina has three picks in the top 10 to bolster his offense and three picks in the fourth round to round out the rest of his lineup ahead of training camp.