LSU tight end Mason Taylor has been rising up draft boards heavily since making a relatively early declaration for the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s expected to be a late first-round pick and comes from a strong bloodline with both his father and uncle in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
As the Taylor family prepares for Mason’s big day, let’s get to know them in detail.
Who Are Mason Taylor’s Parents?
Taylor was born on May 8, 2004, to parents Jason Taylor and Katina Thomas in Plantation, Florida. Jason is the NFL Hall of Fame defensive end who played for the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, and the New York Jets. He was named to six Pro Bowls and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2006.
Jason’s journey to the NFL was more difficult than Mason’s. He went unrecruited in high school before attending the University of Akron. The Dolphins selected him in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft, but in 2011, he retired as one of the best defensive ends in history. Jason currently serves as the defensive ends coach of the Miami Hurricanes.
Being the son of a legend has been a blessing for Mason, who admitted at the NFL Scouting Combine that it was great to get “inside scoop” from his father.
“Yeah, just kind of having that insight, that inside scoop that many people aren’t fortunate to have,” Taylor said. “So it was definitely a blessing, but, I mean, my only memory when my dad was playing was messing around with my brother and sister in the suite or in the locker room tackling each other.
“So, I mean, not much memory there, but just having him in my supportive group and my team and my family, of course, being supportive of me throughout the whole way, throughout ups and downs has been huge.”
Jason has also spoken highly of the tight end’s talent, claiming he had a very focused mind.
“Mason is a self-starter and tireless worker,” the elder Taylor said of his son in a ESPN GameDay feature last season. “He’s got a very focused mind. And understands what it takes.”
Mason’s mother, Katina, also shares additional football roots with her brother being Zach Thomas, a seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023. Thomas was picked in the fifth round by the Dolphins during the 1996 NFL Draft, and in addition to seven Pro Bowls, he made five first-team All-Pros.
Katina earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Texas Tech University and worked as a reporter for CBS Sports before becoming an insider reporter for the Dolphins. She has also appeared in beauty pageants, and while she is no longer together with Jason, Mason calls her his biggest cheerleader. She has two more kids with Jason — son Isaiah and daughter Zoe.
