Ryan Taylor ( American football ) Ryan Lawrence Taylor ( born November 16 , 1987 ) is an American football tight end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Packers out of the University of North Carolina in the seventh round ( 218th pick overall ) in the 2011 NFL Draft . Early years . Taylor attended Mount Tabor High School in Winston - Salem , North Carolina , and played on all sides of the ball . During his time on the team , he was a two time all - conference selection and went 12 - 2 in his sophomore season , making it into the quarterfinals . As a senior , Taylor broke the single season records with 64 receptions that went for 1 , 180 yards and had 13 touchdowns . On top of that , he rushed the ball 13 times for 85 yards and an additional three scores . On special teams , he returned nine kicks and 16 punts for 177 and 116 yards respectively . Coming out of high school , Taylor received scholarship offers for lacrosse , but turned them down to play for the North Carolina Tar Heels . Rivals . com ranked him as the 47th best tight end in the country and he was considered the 21st best player in the state of North Carolina ; he was also a member of the state ' s Shrine Team . College . Taylor played four seasons at North Carolina and departed as a redshirt senior . His role for the Tar Heels was limited to special teams during his first year . He was one of four true freshman to see playing time . Playing special teams he had four tackles , two solo stops and two assists . He again continued to play primarily on special teams during his sophomore season . He had five tackles , and in a game against James Madison University recovered a blocked punt . Taylor began to have a bigger role in his junior season , and was named as a special teams captain . He played in all thirteen games and had 19 tackles , the majority of which were on special teams , but the others as a backup linebacker . During a game against NC State , he played on all three sides of the ball as a Tight End , Linebacker , and on special teams . In 2009 , he was redshirted after injuring his knee in camp . 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 . After the loss of starting tight end Zack Pianalto , he took over as the starter and went on to break the school record for receptions as a tight end with 36 , two of those for touchdowns . Professional career . Taylor was considered to be a possible H - back candidate in the National Football League . Scouts stated that he had " solid hands " and " snatches low and high throws with equal aplomb " . They also stated that he was quick on his routes and could separate linebackers from the inside or outside . For his negatives they stated that he only had " average " size for his position and did not possess the strength to be an inside linebacker . They also stated that he could not separate with the speed of NFL linebackers . Taylor was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 7th round ( 218th overall ) of the 2011 NFL Draft . On December 14 , 2011 , Taylor caught his first reception and touchdown as a professional , against the Oakland Raiders . The catch was a four yard completion from Aaron Rodgers . On November 9 , 2012 , Taylor was fined $ 21 , 000 for an illegal blindside block against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9 .