Air Force safety Trey Taylor is eligible to play in the NFL in 2024. And he doesn’t want to wait long before other service academy players can join him. 

In December 2022, a federal rule that had allowed athletes from academies to turn pro immediately was changed to require them to fulfill two years of a five-year military commitment before they could do so. But players who had enrolled in 2019 or earlier were not required to be under the new rule. 

So, Taylor, who arrived at Air Force in 2019 and won the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back, will go into the April 25-27 NFL draft with teams knowing he will be eligible to play right away. He hopes to make an NFL team while doing what he can to change the rule back to how it had been. 

“I got grandfathered in, but at the same time they shut the door on the people behind me,’’ Taylor told The Denver Gazette. “So, I’m going to work to change the rule because I feel if I can talk to the right people about this and bring some research in, I can be heard. … (The rule change is) doing a disservice to people who want the opportunity. I’m fighting for them.” 

Taylor pointed to a pair of Falcons defensive backs in Jamari Bellamy and Jerome Gaillard, whom he thinks can one day make the NFL. But he considers it unfair that unless things change, they will have to wait before taking the field. 

Taylor believes having athletes from service academies play in the NFL and in other pro sports benefits recruiting. With that in mind, he hopes to help the cause in any manner he can while in the NFL.

“I’m doing this for more than just me,’’ Taylor said of playing pro ball. “I want to be a trail blazer and for the people after me to have something to look up to. … When I’m in the league, I would like to work in public affairs or public relations and being a liaison for the league from the Academy. I feel I can boost Air Force, Army, Navy and even Marines recruitment.” 

Taylor wants to serve some of his five-year required commitment while in the NFL and the remainder of it afterward. He hopes to eventually be a pilot flying C-17s. 

For now, though, Taylor is thinking about the draft and perhaps becoming the first Air Force safety ever to be selected. He is projected as being a Day 3 pick or, at the very least, a preferred free agent. 

“Most teams are telling me rounds five through seven,’’ said Taylor, who last Wednesday was named College Male Athlete of the Year at the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame banquet at the Hilton Denver City Center. “Anything can happen. You can go in round four or you can go undrafted. … Of course, since I’ve been a five-year-old, I’ve been wanting to hear my name called (at the draft). That would definitely be my dream.” 

Taylor grew up in the Dallas area. From 2010-12, when between the ages of 9 and 11, he played for The Truth, a team coached by Hall of Fame cornerback and current Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. 

“It was fun,’’ said Taylor, who hasn’t had a chance yet to be reunited with ‘Coach Prime’ since Sanders took over the Buffaloes program. “He’s a character for sure. But he’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever met even at a young age. He had a really profound effect on me.” 

Taylor later was a teammate of current Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. for two seasons at Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas. And last Monday he had a top-30 visit to the Broncos. 

If he ends up with Denver, Taylor would be reunited with former Air Force defensive lineman Jordan Jackson, who spent last season on the Broncos’ practice squad. Jackson was a sixth-round pick in 2022 by New Orleans and spent that season on the Saints’ practice squad. 

Moorehead didn’t like CU ‘sideshow’ 

Plenty of former University of Colorado football stars have lauded Sanders since he took over as coach. Emery Moorehead is not in that category. 

Moorehead was a Buffaloes tight end from 1974-76, playing in two bowl games and capping his career off with a trip to the Orange Bowl. He was an NFL tight end from 1977-88, playing for the Giants, Broncos and Bears and winning a Super Bowl with the famous Chicago team of 1985. 

“I’m not all that excited about winning four games, let me say that. … Last year was a sideshow,’’ Moorehead said of Sanders’ first season on the job. “Now, let’s get back to some winning.” 

Moorehead, who is a longtime donor to CU athletics and lives half the year in Arvada, appreciates that Sanders has “brought a lot of money to CU.” But he isn’t enthralled with all the extras that have surrounded the coach, including the celebrities hanging out at games. 

“That’s just nonsense,’’ Moorehead said. “Win the game. But these kids, they like having all these guys on the sidelines, all (of Sanders’) buddies and everything. But win the games, man.” 

The Buffaloes did, at least, improve to 4-8 in Sanders’ first season after going 1-11 in 2022. Moorehead said it would be “great” if they can win at least eight games in 2024. 

‘All love’ for honored Chavous

After former Broncos defensive lineman Barney Chavous was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, it was time for a photo op. 

Chavous stood in front of the dais. Gathered behind him for the shot were former teammates Randy Gradishar, Tom Jackson, Billy Thompson, Louis Wright, Dennis Smith and Rick Upchurch. 

“It was just an expression of love for what we had for each other,’’ Chavous said. “It was all love and that’s what it was about, just to be together just like when we went on the field. They wanted to share this with me, and I wanted to share it with them.” 

Chavous starred for Denver from 1973-85. While sacks weren’t an official statistic until 1982, Broncos’ statistics list him as fourth in team history with 75. 

Chavous continues to live in his native Aiken, S.C. He had about 30 family members and friends on hand for his induction. 

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What I’m hearing 

—Former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan looked back at running back Clinton Portis, who had a meager 21 catches in three college seasons at Miami before being a Denver second-round pick in 2002.

“He never had worked at all as a receiver and could not even play catch when he got here,’ Shanahan said.

But the Broncos worked with him, and Shanahan said Portis became a “lot more effective.” He had 71 catches in addition to 3,099 yards rushing in two Denver seasons before being traded to Washington for future Hall of Famer cornerback Champ Bailey. 

—Gradishar, who will be inducted Aug. 3 into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, said preparation for the event has been a lot of work. Later this month or in May, Gradishar will fly to Utah. While there, he will model for approximately 8 hours a day while Blair Buswell, the artist who creates Hall of Fame busts, works on his. 

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What I’m thinking

—It’s time for the Broncos to draft a running back. They last selected one in 2021 in second-rounder Javonte Williams, and he ran for 903 yards as a rookie. Williams suffered a severe knee injury in October 2022 and returned last season. But Williams had his share of struggles, and it remains to be seen if he will fully regain his 2021 form. One running back who intrigues the Broncos is Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright, a projected third-round pick who took a top-30 visit to Denver.

“He’s got speed,’’ said Corey Chavous, the nephew of Barney who is a former Pro Bowl defensive back and runs Draft Nasty. “He’s a big-play threat.” 

—It was 60 years ago Denver selected three Hall of Famers in the same draft. But it was the 1964 AFL draft and all those future stars ended up signing with teams that took them in the NFL draft. The Broncos selected tackle Bob Brown in the first round, but he went to Philadelphia. They took safety Paul Krause in the 12th round, and he chose Washington. And they selected wide receiver Bob Hayes in the 14th round, and he went to Dallas.