Joe Gibbs and the Redskins pro scouts had narrowed their list of potential draftees down to 10 players.

But the player who kept on rising to the top was University of Miami (Fla.) safety Sean Taylor.

Why? It was a combination of quality and need.

The Redskins were close to drafting a safety in last year’s draft, so personnel officials had identified the position as a need.

With Taylor widely recognized as a difference-maker on defense--someone who could have an impact on a defense the way that Dallas’s Roy Williams and Baltimore’s Ed Reed have--the selection just made sense.

As one of the most sought-after players in the draft, Taylor brings a combination of size, speed and strength to the Redskins defense. The 6-2, 225-pounder is a playmaker and intimidator in the secondary.

Most of all, Gibbs said, Taylor had the attributes--football smarts and dedication among them--that make him a "Redskin."

"I think that he’s all football," Gibbs said. "He’s football smart. He sat in the meetings with the defense when he was here. We feel as a workout guy and the way he looks, he’ll be a great Redskin guy from that standpoint.

"He said he was excited about coming here. You wouldn’t invest in somebody like that unless you thought they were going to be a good Redskin."

Why not Kellen Winslow, Jr.? It was no secret that both Winslow and Taylor--both University of Miami (Fla.) players--were high on the Redskins draft board.

"Certainly we think Kellen Winslow, Jr., is a terrific player and is going to be a terrific player [in Cleveland]," Gibbs said. "Obviously he was a strong consideration for us. But we thought for our football team, and believe me we went though every last detail, in the end our choice needed to be Sean. We felt like he would be the guy to help our football the most."

In a conference call with reporters Saturday afternoon, Taylor said he was looking forward to playing a part of the aggressive defense being implemented by assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams.

Said Williams of Taylor: "He’ll be a free safety. He’s a prototypical free safety, actually. He’s a ball-hawk. He can cover a lot of field and go and get the ball very well.

"But obviously with those measurables in size, weight and speed, he can become a very formidable blitzer."

At Miami (Fla.), Taylor made his mark more as a solid coverage safety. He had a knack for interceptions, but he often set the tone in the secondary with hard hits on receivers.

"I love interceptions and getting a chance to get my hands on the ball and taking it back for a touchdown for the defense," he said. "That’s when I’m most excited--when I get an interception."

Taylor finished his collegiate career at Miami with 14 interceptions, as well as 188 tackles, one sack and two blocked punts in 34 games.

His 14 interceptions ranked fourth on the Hurricanes’ all-time list behind only Fred Marion, Bennie Blades and Ed Reed. Only Reed’s 389 yards on interceptions is more than Taylor’s (306) in school history.

In 2003, Taylor was a unanimous All-America first-team selection and finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive back. He was named first-team All-Big East Conference as well as Defensive Player of the Year.

Taylor started 12 games at free safety last year, compiling 77 tackles (57 solo), 13 pass deflections, 10 interceptions and three touchdowns. His 10 interceptions tied a Miami record and he led all Division 1-A players with three interception returns for touchdowns.

Taylor recorded arguably his best collegiate game against state rival Florida State, setting school and conference records with eight pass deflections, one sack, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), eight tackles and a recovered blocked punt.

As a sophomore in 2002, Taylor earned first-team All-Big East Conference honors, starting all 13 games and recording a career-high 85 tackles (53 solo), four interceptions, 15 pass deflections, one forced fumble and one blocked kick. He also returned three punts, one for a touchdown.

Taylor is a product of Gulliver Academy in Miami, Fla. He helped lead his school to the Florida Class 2A State Championship as a senior in 2000, seeing time at running back, defensive back and linebacker.

He finished the 2000 season rushing for 1,300 yards and a state-record 44 touchdowns on offense while tallying more than 100 tackles on defense.