Taco Charlton
Defensive end| Michigan| Senior
Height:6-foot-6*|Weight: *277 pounds
College Stats
2016: 43 tackles (19 solo), 13 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, two pass breakups in 11 games during his first year as a starter; named First-Team All-Big Ten by coaches and media; ranked 14th in FBS with 9.5 sacks; recorded a sack in seven of final 10 games
Career:94 tackles (55 solo), 27.5 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble in 46 games (15 starts)
Combine Results
40-yard dash: 4.92 seconds
Bench press: 25 reps of 225 pounds (tied for 13th among defensive linemen)
Broad jump: 9 feet, 8 inches
Vertical jump: 33 inches (tied for 10th among defensive linemen)
3-cone drill: 7.17 seconds (13th among defensive linemen)
20-yard shuttle: 4.39 seconds (tied for 14th among defensive linemen)
Profile
Summary:Charlton's height and weight are joined by another coveted physical trait: arms that were measured at 34 ¼ inches, giving him extensive reach that is so helpful in bringing down quarterbacks or keep blockers at bay.
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote in a pre-draft bio of Charlton: "Length gives him a shot at dramatically increasing his play-making ability against the run." Zierlein also wrote that Charlton can improve his consistency but also appears to have a considerable amount of upside ahead.
View images of Michigan DE Taco Charlton.
Stacking up: Daniel Jeremiah ranked Charlton as the 23rd overall prospect in this year's draft and the seventh defensive end in a crowded position group. Bucky Brooks initially had Charlton in his top five defensive ends, but nudged him down.
Like Zierlein, Jeremiah liked Charlton's potential for applying his gifts, writing, "Overall, Charlton has the size, athletic ability and savvy to be a solid three-down defender very early in his NFL career."
Understudy:Charlton, who grew up near Columbus, Ohio, mentioned during an interview at the combine that he studied several pro players with similar body types.
"Guys like Carlos Dunlap, guys with that similar body size that learn how to use their leverage and use their long arms," Charlton said. "So, I studied them just to see how I can use my body. And then I studied the Justin Houston's, the Tamba Hali's just because the way they use their hands is almost an artwork. And pass rush to me is an artwork a little bit. So, I studied a lot of game film of a lot of different guys to see what I can do."
