''They're Getting Pros''

INDIANAPOLIS – It’s a story Akheem Mesidor has shared more than a few times during his Miami career, and it always seems to draw some laughs.

So, it seemed fitting to tell it again during one of the biggest job interviews of his life: a jam-packed media session at last week’s NFL Scouting Combine.

“My defensive line coach, Jason Taylor … coming into Miami, I didn’t know much about him,” Mesidor said with a slight smile. “Until I looked him up on YouTube.”

Four years later, Mesidor – who grew up playing more football than watching it in his native Ontario – credits Taylor, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and six-time Pro Bowler, with helping him become one of college football’s top defensive ends and now, a projected first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

“Everything you saw during game day, us working with JT before the games, the stuff we did every single day from spring ball to fall camp, up through the season, it’s honestly meant the world to me,” said Mesidor, who had a team-high 17.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks for the Hurricanes last season during their run to the College Football Playoff. “JT is with me before every practice, working on whatever I want to work on and then [again] post-practice, if I still need help. Typically, me and Rueben [Bain Jr.] would do more work post-practice, and we’d bring the young guys along. JT is always still there. … He’ll stay back and coach us and make sure we had good work.”

Mesidor isn’t the only Hurricanes defensive end who credits Taylor with helping him become a projected first-round pick.

Bain grew up in Miami and thus, had a pretty good understanding of all Taylor accomplished during his storied 15-year NFL career.

For him, having the chance to learn from a South Florida legend while playing for his hometown program was the opportunity of a lifetime.

And, Bain noted, it was a chance, too, to get a glimpse of the future he wants for himself.

“Man, JT is like a second dad for me,” said Bain, who earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors and was a consensus first-team All-American after totaling 15.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks last season. “The constant motivation, the constant coaching I got, whether I was in the building, outside the building, staying late at night … if I had to go to his house, we’d talk and chop it up. I’d be in his house, putting on his Hall of Fame jacket and ring and just envisioning [it for] myself. So, for me, it was constant motivation, a father figure away from home and just a wonderful opportunity.”

But as common a sight as it was to see Taylor working on drills with both of his star defensive ends on the Greentree Practice Fields or on the field at Hard Rock Stadium before games, the biggest lessons the coach said he wants his two pupils to take with them as they continue preparing for the NFL isn’t necessarily how to better their stances, be more explosive or get to quarterbacks any faster than they already do.

Taylor wants to see them become even bigger leaders than they already are and to approach every practice, every meeting, every workout, every game like the professionals they aspire to be.

“That’s what we’d say all the time: be a pro. If someone’s talking during a meeting when they shouldn’t be, be a pro. When you’re tired in practice and you’re dragging and it’s hard to finish a drill, be a pro. When you’re upset because it’s hot and the sweat’s running down the crack of your hind-parts, be a pro,” Taylor said. “That’s what being a pro is. It’s not just about being a professional and getting paid. It’s about doing things that pros do.

“I’ve always treated them like pros. I treat everybody in the room like pros, and I’ve been there for 15 years. Pros get ripped, too. It’s a mindset, and a way of life, and a standard. It’s not a state of mind. It’s somewhere that you get to. It’s a way of life. We’ve always taught that, believed it, and they responded well to it. And when you treat guys like pros and they take responsibility and ownership of their body of work, you can go a long way.”

His message was clearly heeded.

In Indianapolis, both Bain and Mesidor spoke at length about the mentality Taylor helped instill in them and the difference he made in helping them become the players they are.

“Just working with JT every day, I think that was the biggest thing for me,” Mesidor said. “Really the professional approach to the game, the way you prepare, the way you take care of your body, everything that helps you achieve your maximum potential on the field, JT was just tremendous to me. I was always in his office, always in the facility. JT has a couch right there and I’m always laying on it; we’re always talking and watching the film. He’s been a tremendous help and mentor to me throughout this whole process.”

Now, it’s time for Bain and Mesidor to take their training and Taylor’s lessons to the next level.

And they’re confident – as are NFL observers – that Taylor will continue developing top-notch players in Coral Gables.

“I think it’s cool to see a guy who was a Hall of Famer, a legend with the Dolphins, pour into it and kind of build himself up this way because a lot of times, elite players aren’t elite coaches because guys can’t do what they do,” said NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe. “So, to hear Rueben talk about the long nights that they would work out together, that’s Jason pouring his time into it … I think he’s such a huge asset because players respect resume. They’re going to listen to their coach regardless, but you’ve got a Hall of Famer there showing you, ‘Hey, this is my Hall of Fame jacket, this is my Hall of Fame ring,’ it just perks you up a little bit different. This year is a perfect example with Akheem and Rueben. I’m not sure they’re both top 20 picks if Jason Taylor isn’t the Miami Hurricanes’ defensive line coach.”

For his part, Taylor said he couldn’t be prouder of the legacy Bain and Mesidor have left at Miami, and he believes both of them will be assets to whatever NFL teams add them to their respective rosters next month.

“The play on the field, obviously, is evident. But the leadership, the work ethic, not letting money change them, that’s who those guys are … They’re going to show up every day,” Taylor said. “They’ll be getting pros, it’s as simple as that. … Every NFL team wants consistency. They want pros. They want guys that they can go to bed at night and be able to trust that they’re going to be there in the morning with no issues and that they’re going to show up for work and that they love ball. That’s who those guys are.”