Asked about Taylor being brought to the ground while still in the recovery phase from his injury, Rodriguez said: “I would prefer, defensively, that they take him to the ground quicker. It looked like they were taking him to the ground 30 yards down the field. He’s not in a red shirt, so he should have gotten tackled a little quicker. That’s probably easier said than done.”

Taylor said he hopes to be at full strength by the start of fall camp in August. The 5-foot-6-inch product of Corona, California, has added 20 pounds of muscle since arriving on campus, now weighing in at 180 pounds. He described Thursday night as “just another practice.”

“I just look at it as another chance to get better and to work on my craft,” Taylor said.

Seven isn’t enough

Rodriguez didn’t think the two-hour workout Thursday night was particularly sharp. It might have had something to do with the format, which was structured around Pac-12 Networks’ TV coverage.

“I think we had four other practices better than this one,” Rodriguez said. “This was almost a wasted day.”