# Taurean York
**Taurean York** (born 2005) is an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) linebacker from [Temple, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/temple-texas), who played three seasons for the [Texas A&M Aggies](https://www.edgepedia.org/texas-a-and-m-aggies), started every game of his college career, and signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 NFL Draft.[1](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/player/55388) • [2](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york) • [3](https://gazette.com/2026/05/31/BRONCOS-UNDRAFTED-ROOKIE-LINEBACKER-TAUREAN-YORK-THRIVES-ON-ALL-THE-DOUBTERS/) Listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 227 pounds, he was one of the most productive linebackers in college football despite a recruiting ranking of three stars and a frame well below the position's NFL norms.[2](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york) • [4](https://lastwordonsports.com/nfl/2026/04/23/taurean-york-2026-nfl-draft-profile/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2005, Temple, Texas[1](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/player/55388) |
| College career | Texas A&M, 2023–2025; started all 39 games and served two seasons as team captain[4](https://lastwordonsports.com/nfl/2026/04/23/taurean-york-2026-nfl-draft-profile/) • [5](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/tamu.sidearmsports.com/documents/2024/11/11/12_-_NMS_-_Full.pdf?timestamp=20241111033317) |
| Freshman honors | 2023 ESPN Freshman All-America, SEC All-Freshman Team, Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year semifinalist[2](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york) |
| 2025 season | 90.8 PFF coverage grade, 6th among 813 qualified linebackers; 83.7 overall grade, 42nd[6](https://www.pff.com/ncaa/players/taurean-york/172604) |
| Measurables | 5'11", 226 lbs, 30-inch arms, 8⅜-inch hands at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine; 3-cone 7.32, short shuttle 4.48[7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25259294) |
| NFL entry | Undrafted free agent, signed by Denver in April 2026, waived in August 2026[1](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/player/55388) |
## High school
York played four years of varsity football at Temple High School under coach Scott Stewart and was a three-star prospect in the ratings of 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN.[2](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york) His career totals were 435 tackles, 47.0 tackles for loss, 15.0 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and one interception.[2](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york) He was named UIL District 12-6A Defensive MVP three times (2020, 2021, 2022) and was the district's co-Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman.[2](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york)
His high school coach described a player who prepared like a coordinator. He came to school every Monday during the season with a complete game plan for attacking that week's opponent based on film study, according to Stewart.[8](https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2023/11/02/texas-a-m-taurean-york-became-a-freshman-sensation-at-temple-high-school-long-before-becoming-an-aggie)
## College career at Texas A&M
**Freshman, 2023.** York started all 13 games as a true freshman and finished second on the team with 74 tackles, third among all SEC freshmen, along with 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and five hurries.[2](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york) He earned ESPN Freshman All-America and SEC All-Freshman Team honors and received the Defensive Skill Award at the team banquet.[2](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york) Late in the season he was within 1.5 tackles for loss of [Dat Nguyen](https://www.edgepedia.org/dat-nguyen)'s No. 3 freshman total in school history.[9](https://olemisssports.com/documents/download/2023/10/30/09_-_Ole_MIss_-_FULL.pdf)
**Sophomore, 2024.** Teammates elected him a season-long captain before the season, and he quarterbacked the defense at middle linebacker.[5](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/tamu.sidearmsports.com/documents/2024/11/11/12_-_NMS_-_Full.pdf?timestamp=20241111033317) He started all 13 games, led the team and ranked 12th in the SEC with 82 tackles, and added 9.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.[2](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york) • [7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25259294) He recorded his first career interception against LSU and closed the year with 10 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss, including a sack, against Texas.[2](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york)
**Junior, 2025.** Entering the season he was named to the Associated Press preseason [All-America](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-america) second team at linebacker.[10](https://apnews.com/article/35afa7cb3f15918ad16d7d52d9b2cb51) He finished the season with 73 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three passes defensed, and five quarterback hits, and earned All-SEC recognition.[1](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/player/55388) [Pro Football Focus](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-focus) graded his coverage at 90.8, sixth among 813 qualified linebackers, with an overall defensive grade of 83.7 (42nd) on 693 snaps; he also generated 11 pressures with two sacks as a blitzer and was charged with 11 missed tackles.[6](https://www.pff.com/ncaa/players/taurean-york/172604) Sources differ on his All-SEC tier: Ourlads and Last Word on Sports list third-team All-SEC, while the Associated Press describes him as a second-team all-SEC selection.[1](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/player/55388) • [4](https://lastwordonsports.com/nfl/2026/04/23/taurean-york-2026-nfl-draft-profile/) • [11](https://apnews.com/article/710d5277ffcc9066048e4ca2816c61d6)
York was a two-time captain who helped Texas A&M reach its first [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff) appearance in program history before declaring for the NFL Draft.[12](https://www.texasfootball.com/articles/article/default.aspx?url=2026%2F01%2F26%2Fhow-mike-elko-turned-texas-a-m-into-a-college-football-playoff-team)
## Draft evaluation
Scouting consensus centered on a single tension: elite processing and tackling reliability against bottom-percentile measurables. PFF draft analyst Trevor Sikkema ranked York as the class's LB1 in September 2025, citing that he seldom misses tackles and possesses a very high football IQ, while noting that his lack of weight and length gets him bullied against linemen.[13](https://www.pff.com/news/2026-nfl-draft-summer-scouting-linebacker-overview) [Bleacher Report](https://www.edgepedia.org/bleacher-report)'s Matt Holder gave him a 7.0 grade (high-level backup with starter upside, third round), ranked him LB9 and 110th overall, and compared him to [Zach Thomas](https://www.edgepedia.org/zach-thomas).[7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25259294)
At the 2026 [NFL Scouting Combine](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfl-scouting-combine) he measured 5'11" with 30-inch arms, both in the bottom percentiles for linebackers, and he finished last among linebackers in the three-cone (7.32 seconds) and short shuttle (4.48 seconds) drills.[7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25259294) • [14](https://www.si.com/college/tamu/football/how-texas-am-lb-taurean-york-compares-to-other-nfl-draft-prospects) Analysts flagged his ability to stack and shed blocks as the main limitation, with short arms and subpar upper-body strength making it difficult to escape blocks from tight ends and interior linemen.[7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25259294) Ourlads projected a third- or fourth-round selection and wrote that in the right scheme he could be a three-down stack linebacker with special-teams impact.[1](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/player/55388)
## Professional career
York went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed with the [Denver Broncos](https://www.edgepedia.org/denver-broncos) as a free agent on April 26, 2026.[1](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/player/55388) • [3](https://gazette.com/2026/05/31/BRONCOS-UNDRAFTED-ROOKIE-LINEBACKER-TAUREAN-YORK-THRIVES-ON-ALL-THE-DOUBTERS/) The Broncos waived him in August 2026.[1](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/player/55388) He has spoken publicly about a speech impediment, writing that he wants to become a role model for people who "may be too scared to speak."[11](https://apnews.com/article/710d5277ffcc9066048e4ca2816c61d6)
## References
1. [Taurean York, Ourlads NFL Scouting Services](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/player/55388)
2. [Taurean York, 2025 Football Roster, Texas A&M Athletics](https://12thman.com/sports/football/roster/player/taurean-york)
3. [Broncos undrafted rookie linebacker Taurean York 'thrives on all the doubters', The Gazette](https://gazette.com/2026/05/31/BRONCOS-UNDRAFTED-ROOKIE-LINEBACKER-TAUREAN-YORK-THRIVES-ON-ALL-THE-DOUBTERS/)
4. [Taurean York 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report, Last Word on Sports](https://lastwordonsports.com/nfl/2026/04/23/taurean-york-2026-nfl-draft-profile/)
5. [2024 Texas A&M Game Notes (vs. New Mexico State)](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/tamu.sidearmsports.com/documents/2024/11/11/12_-_NMS_-_Full.pdf?timestamp=20241111033317)
6. [Taurean York, PFF College](https://www.pff.com/ncaa/players/taurean-york/172604)
7. [NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Texas A&M LB Taurean York, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25259294)
8. [Texas A&M's Taurean York became a freshman sensation at Temple High School, Texas Football / Dave Campbell's](https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2023/11/02/texas-a-m-taurean-york-became-a-freshman-sensation-at-temple-high-school-long-before-becoming-an-aggie)
9. [2023 Texas A&M Game Notes (Ole Miss)](https://olemisssports.com/documents/download/2023/10/30/09_-_Ole_MIss_-_FULL.pdf)
10. [AP preseason All-America first and second teams, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/35afa7cb3f15918ad16d7d52d9b2cb51)
11. [Fernando Mendoza, Diego Pavia, KC Concepcion headline long list of Latino prospects in NFL draft, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/710d5277ffcc9066048e4ca2816c61d6)
12. [How Mike Elko Turned Texas A&M into a College Football Playoff Team, Texas Football / Dave Campbell's](https://www.texasfootball.com/articles/article/default.aspx?url=2026%2F01%2F26%2Fhow-mike-elko-turned-texas-a-m-into-a-college-football-playoff-team)
13. [2026 NFL Draft Summer Scouting: Linebacker Overview, PFF](https://www.pff.com/news/2026-nfl-draft-summer-scouting-linebacker-overview)
14. [How Texas A&M LB Taurean York Compares to Other NFL Draft Prospects, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/tamu/football/how-texas-am-lb-taurean-york-compares-to-other-nfl-draft-prospects)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Linebackers › Active professional linebackers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license