East Through the Years | Taylor Through the Years
May 4, 2015
Nashville — Vanderbilt long snapper Andrew East and defensive tackle Vince Taylor have reached rookie free agent deals with National Football League teams.
East, a four-year starter and two two-year captain, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs over the weekend after the NFL draft concluded. Taylor, a two-year starter who blossomed during his senior season at nose tackle, inked a deal Monday with the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
Both East and Taylor signed with teams that include former Commodores: East joining former tight end Brandon Barden at Kansas City; Taylor joining former wide receiver Jonathan Krause at New England.
Other Commodore seniors from the last year, including defensive tackle Barron Dixon and outside linebacker/end Kyle Woestmann, have yet to finalize a rookie contracts.
East, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., was regarded among the nation’s elite long snappers in 2014, selected to participate in the postseason Reese’s Senior Bowl. He handled all Vanderbilt snap responsibilities through a career that included 51 game appearances.
East, who also contributed 13 career tackles on special teams, earned several prestigious honors as a senior. He was named a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy that recognizes athletes, academics and community service, and was featured among the 11-member Allstate-American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. He also represented Vanderbilt on the Southeastern Conference’s Good Works Team.
East earned a degree in civil engineering from Vanderbilt in 2014, and is working toward a postgraduate MBA from the Owens School of Management on campus.
Taylor, a 6-2, 315-pound product of Hattiesburg, Miss., contributed a career-high 43 tackles while starting 11 games as a senior tackle. He started 21 games and made 49 appearances as a Commodore, finishing with 87 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries in his career.
Taylor enjoyed his most productive season in 2014 handling the nose tackle position in Vanderbilt’s 3-4 defense. As a senior, Taylor finished with 43 tackes, three tackles for loss, and a pair of fumble recoveries. He also close his career with an outstanding performance versus Tennessee, posting a single-game high of six tackles.
For the first time since 2011, the NFL draft did not include a Vanderbilt selection.
