2003 The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Taylor in the fourth round (125th overall) in the
2003 NFL draft. His selection was made despite his inexperience and lack of consistent play and was based primarily on Taylor's rare combination of size and speed. Leading up to the draft, he was timed allegedly as fast as 4.18 seconds in the
40-yard dash at his pro day., However, most
NFL coaches and general managers still failed to see his potential. On May 28, 2003, the Steelers signed Taylor to a three-year, $1.18 million contract that included a
signing bonus of $275,000. Throughout training camp, he competed against
Chidi Iwuoma to be the fourth cornerback on the depth chart. Head coach
Bill Cowher named Taylor the fourth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind
Chad Scott,
Dewayne Washington, and
Deshea Townsend. He was also given kick return duties by special teams coordinator
Kevin Spencer. He made his professional regular season debut in the
Pittsburgh Steelers' season-opener against the
Baltimore Ravens and recorded two combined tackles in their 34–15 victory. Taylor also returned two kicks for 29-yards. He remained at nickelback for the remainder of the season after Chad Scott was placed on injured reserve due to a torn flexor tendon in his right hand. He completed his rookie season in with 32 combined tackles (26 solo) and three pass deflections in 16 games and one start. Taylor also had 37 kick returns for 831-yards (22.46 YPR).
2004 During training camp, Taylor competed for a role as a backup cornerback against
Ricardo Colclough,
Terry Fair, Chidi Iwuoma, and
Shane Walton. Head coach Bill Cowher named Taylor the fifth cornerback on the depth chart to start the 2004 season, behind Deshea Townsend, Chad Scott, Willie Williams, and Ricardo Colclough. On October 3, 2004, Taylor recorded a tackle and made his first career interception off a pass by
Carson Palmer during a 28–17 victory against the
Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. The following week, Taylor made two combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Tom Brady in the Steelers' 34–20 victory against the
New England Patriots in Week 8. The
Pittsburgh Steelers finished first in the
AFC North with a 15–1 record after rookie quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger became the starter and went 13–0 to end the season.
2005 In 2005, Taylor competed for a job as a starting cornerback against Chad Scott, Willie Williams, Ricardo Colclough, and
Bryant McFadden. Defensive coordinator
Dick LeBeau named Taylor the starting cornerback to begin the regular season, alongside Deshea Townsend. He started in the
Pittsburgh Steelers' season-opener against the
Tennessee Titans and recorded nine combined tackles and two pass deflections in their 34–7 victory.
2006 On September 3, 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Taylor to a four-year, $22.5 million contract that included a signing bonus of $6.4 million. The contract made Taylor the highest paid cornerback in franchise history and would tie him to the Steelers through
2010. Taylor entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback and was officially named a starter to begin the season, along with Deshea Townsend. He started the
Pittsburgh Steelers' season-opener against the
Miami Dolphins and recorded six combined tackles and a career-high seven pass deflections in their 28–7 victory. In Week 3, he made four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during a 28–20 loss to the
Cincinnati Bengals. On October 8, 2006, Taylor made a season-high eight solo tackles and two pass deflections in the Steelers' 23–13 loss at the
San Diego Chargers in Week 5. On November 5, 2006, Taylor was benched in favor for Bryant McFadden after giving up six receptions for 134-yards and two touchdowns to wide receiver
Javon Walker during a 31–20 loss to the
Denver Broncos in Week 9. Prior to his benching, Taylor routinely covered the opponent's top receiver man-to-man. He finished the game as their fourth cornerback and recorded six solo tackles and three pass deflections. Head coach Bill Cowher officially demoted Taylor to being the third cornerback on the depth chart in favor of Bryant McFadden in Week 12. He finished the season with 69 combined tackles (60 solo), 15 pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and 11 starts. He started in the
Pittsburgh Steelers' season-opener at the
Cleveland Browns and recorded five solo tackles, a pass deflection, an interception, and made his first career sack in their 34–7 victory. His interception marked his third consecutive playoff game with a pick.
2008 Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau retained Taylor and Townsend as the starting cornerbacks to begin the 2008 regular season. On October 26, 2008, Taylor started as the No. 1 cornerback for the first time since being demoted in 2006. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau opted to have Taylor play one-on-one man coverage and shadow the Giants' No. 1 wide receiver,
Plaxico Burress. Taylor held Burress to three receptions for 15-yards and also made three solo tackles and two pass deflections during their 21–14 loss against the
New York Giants in Week 8. The following week, he held wide receiver
Santana Moss to 14-yards on two catches and also recorded three combined tackles and two pass deflections in a 23–6 victory at the
Washington Redskins in Week 9.
2009 Head coach Mike Tomlin named Taylor a starting cornerback to begin the regular season, along with
William Gay. In Week 7, Taylor collected a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo) during a 27–17 victory against the
Minnesota Vikings. On January 3, 2010, Taylor made four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass during a 39–24 victory at the
Miami Dolphins in Week 17. During the game, Taylor made a helmet-to-helmet hit on
Miami Dolphins quarterback
Pat White which rendered White unconscious. White was carted off the field, but did not appear to sustain any long-term damage from the hit. He finished the season with 62 combined tackles (53 solo), 13 pass deflections, a sack, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts. He started in the
Pittsburgh Steelers' season-opener against the
Atlanta Falcons and recorded a season-high seven combined tackles and a pass deflection in their 15–9 victory. He finished the season with 66 combined tackles (52 solo), 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack in 16 games and 16 starts. On February 2, 2011, Taylor started in
Super Bowl XLV and recorded four combined tackles as the Steelers were defeated by the
Green Bay Packers 31–25.
2011 On July 29, 2011, the Steelers signed Taylor to a four-year, $28 million contract with $15.15 million guaranteed. On November 27, 2011, Taylor recorded four combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass attempt by quarterback
Tyler Palko in the Steelers' 13–9 victory at the
Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12. The following week, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles, three pass deflections, and an interception during a 35–7 win against the
Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13. At the end of regulation, the Broncos and Steelers were tied 23–23 and went into
overtime where the Broncos received possession after winning the coin toss. On the first play in overtime, Taylor was beat on a post route by
Demaryius Thomas and gave up an 80-yard touchdown pass by quarterback
Tim Tebow.
2012 On February 10, 2012, the Steelers restructured Taylor's contract in order to free up salary cap space and converted $4.95 million of his base salary into a signing bonus. The maneuver freed up $3.28 million in cap space in future seasons. Taylor entered training camp entrenched as the No. 1 starting cornerback. Head coach Mike Tomlin officially named him the starter to begin the regular season, opposite
Keenan Lewis. On November 4, 2012, Taylor recorded a season-high seven combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Eli Manning during a 24–20 victory at the
New York Giants in Week 9. On December 2, 2012, Taylor injured his fibula during a 23–20 victory at the
Baltimore Ravens in Week 12. His injury sidelined him for five games (Weeks 13–17) and also ended his eight-year, 136-game streak that extended back to 2004. He finished with 32 combined tackles (25 solo), 13 pass deflections, and an interception in 12 games and 12 starts. On September 16, 2013, Taylor recorded a season-high six solo tackles and broke up a pass during a 20–10 loss at the
Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. In Week 15, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles and two pass deflections in the Steelers' 30–20 victory at the Cincinnati Bengals. Taylor finished the season with 63 combined tackles (52 solo) and 12 pass deflections in 16 games and 16 starts. On September 21, 2014, Taylor broke his right forearm during a 37–19 victory at the
Carolina Panthers in Week 3. The injury occurred while Taylor was attempting to tackle wide receiver
Kelvin Benjamin after a five-yard reception in the third quarter. While bringing Benjamin down, teammate
Lawrence Timmons delivered a blow and made direct contact with Taylor's arm. His forearm was visibly broken and he was inactive for the next eight games (Weeks 4–11). On December 7, 2014, Taylor recorded a season-high seven combined tackles during a 42–21 victory at the
Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14. He was inactive for the last three games of the regular season (Weeks 15–17) after sustaining a shoulder injury. He completed the season with 16 combined tackles (11 solo) and two pass deflections in five games and five starts. ==NFL career statistics==