Quick Facts
Biography
Lorenzo Taliaferro (December 23, 1991 – December 16, 2020) was an American football fullback. He played college football at Coastal Carolina and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
College career
Taliaferro attended Lackawanna College on a scholarship until he received a football scholarship to Coastal Carolina. Taliaferro finished 11th in the 2013 Walter Payton Award voting.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 ⁄4 in (1.84 m) | 229 lb (104 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 8 ⁄8 in (0.21 m) | 4.58 s | 4.22 s | 6.88 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | 18 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Taliaferro was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens with the 138th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. On September 21, 2014, Taliaferro had the first touches of his NFL career rushing 18 times for 91 yards and a touchdown in a week 3 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Taliaferro had his first multi-rushing touchdown game against the Cincinnati Bengals with 2 touchdowns. He was placed on injured reserve on December 16, 2014, ending his rookie season. He finished his rookie season with 68 carries for 282 yards (4.3 yards per attempt) and 4 rushing touchdowns in 13 games. He also had 8 receptions for 114 yards, and returned one kickoff for 15 yards.
Taliaferro returned in 2015 and would begin the season as the third string running back behind veteran Justin Forsett and rookie Javorius Allen. On October 14, 2015, Taliaferro was added to season-ending injury/reserve after a nagging foot injury plagued him all season. After playing Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he finished his season with 13 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown in 3 games.He also caught 5 passes for 29 yards
On August 30, 2016, Taliaferro was placed on the PUP list to start the 2016 season. He was activated from the PUP list on October 22, 2016. He was placed on injured reserve on December 13, 2016. He had just four touches: a rush for no yards and three catches for 10 yards.
On September 1, 2017, Taliaferro was waived by the Ravens during final roster cuts.
On February 14, 2018, it was reported that Taliaferro would be participating in The Spring League in 2018.
Taliaferro signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League for the 2018 season.After making several tackles as a defensive player, and receiving no offensive touches during the preseason, Taliaferro was released by Hamilton on June 6.
Personal life and death
Taliaferro passed away on December 16, 2020, in Williamsburg, Virginia, of a heart attack.
Awards
- May 2014, he shared the SAAC Male Athlete of the Year award for 2014 with Pedro Ribeiro.
- July 2014, he was voted Big South Male Athlete of the Year.
