Ryan Lawrence Taylor (born November 16, 1987) is an American former professional football tight end.

He was also a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, and Kansas City Chiefs.

Taylor attended Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and played on all sides of the ball.

Coming out of high school, Taylor received scholarship offers for lacrosse at the University of Virginia, but turned them down to play for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

[1] Taylor began to have a bigger role in his junior season, and was named as a special teams captain.

During a game against NC State, he played on all three sides of the ball as a Tight End, Linebacker, and on special teams.

[1] In his final year with the Tar heels, he again played on all the sides of the ball and was the special teams captain for the second time in his career.

[4] Scouts stated that he had "solid hands" and "snatches low and high throws with equal aplomb".