Overview
Position: Edge defender
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 277 pounds
School: Michigan Wolverines
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.92 seconds
Bench press: 25 reps
Vertical jump: 33 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 8 inches
Three-cone drill: 7.17 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.39 seconds
Taco Charlton 2017 NFL Draft Profile
Coming out of high school, Taco Charlton (whose real first name is Vidauntae) emerged as one of the top prospects at his position. The native of Pickerington, OH just outside Columbus ranked tenth nationally among weakside defensive ends according to Rivals and received plenty of Power Five offers. However, Ohio State was not one of them. In the end, he committed fairly early in the process to the Buckeyes’ archrivals north of the border in Michigan.
Charlton served primarily as a reserve player during his true freshman season and saw scant time on the field. But his role on the Wolverines defensive front gradually increased over the next three seasons. He appeared in a combined 25 games as a sophomore and junior, making four starts and tallying nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss in that time period.
But it was his senior season in Maize and Blue when Charlton truly came into his own. His 0.91 sacks per game led the Big Ten and was tied for 11th in FBS. He also put up 13.5 tackles for loss and helped Michigan finish third nationally in the statistic with 120 total. In the season finale against OSU, Charlton registered a career high nine tackles and added three TFLs and 2.5 sacks. He collected unanimous first team all-Big Ten honors (coaches and media) at season’s end.
Strengths
- prototypical frame and arm length for the position at the next level;
- explosive burst off the snap gives him edge at point of attack;
- wins leverage battles with good forward lean and pad level;
- can hit the inside gap with a wicked spin move opposing tackles struggle to bottle up;
- showed versatility in lining up as a hand in the ground and stand-up edge rusher;
- disengages blocker well in laterally shifting to make a tackle;
- nice, twitchy footwork post-snap makes him a threat on inside stunt moves;
- high motor player who could be a late game playmaker against tired blockers;
- has all the makings of a scheme versatile player at the next level.
Weaknesses
- struggled with inconsistent play in college;
- had only one season of elite level production while at Michigan;
- doesn’t take optimum pursuit angle when ball goes outside tackles on run plays;
- tends to bite on play fakes and track the wrong man in zone read situations;
- may not currently have physicality to play three-tech if moved inside in 3-4 schemes;
- will need to improve ability to beat tackles on the perimeter;
- could incorporate more of a mean streak in his play.
NFL Comparison: Carlos Dunlap
Teams With Need at Position: Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins
Projection: middle to late first round
Bottom Line
It’s easy to see why front office decision makers are excited about Charlton’s potential at the next level. He possesses a multitude of traits that make him an NFL caliber edge defender. His overall build, explosive athleticism and scheme versatility have him firmly on the radar of teams in need of help on the perimeter. Though he’ll need to shake off the “inconsistent” label, all indications are that he can blossom into a major contributor at the next level with the right attitude and work ethic. Given his ceiling, Charlton should easily come off the board by the end of day one.
