Michigan Football: Taco Charlton Goes No. 28 To The Cowboys
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Taco Charlton became the second of what is expected to be many Wolverines gaining new employment, taken No. 28 by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Charlton, who shot up draft boards in his final campaign as a Wolverine, has been regarded as a first-rounder for some time, and didn't disappoint. He drew praise from those assessing the NFL's annual talent haul.
"He takes tight angles coming off the edge, and talk about length — he's almost 6-6, and 275 pounds," noted ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper. "He missed a couple of games early on, but late in the year, he was really putting it together as a pass rusher for Jim Harbaugh.
"Go to the Ohio State tape, and you'll watch him coming off the edge … and he had another good game in the Orange Bowl … he covers ground more quickly than you think. He was 4.92, then ran a 4.84 in his Pro Day. That's not great closing speed, but with the pads on, he dictates and makes things happen, particularly the last five, six games of the year, culminating with that Ohio State game, that definitely make Taco Charlton some money.
Charlton earned All-Big Ten first-team honors by coaches and media in his senior season, leading the Wolverines and ranking No. 14 in the nation with his 9.5 sacks. He posted 13 tackles for loss among his 43 stops on the year.
He saved his best for the biggest game of the year, notching a career-high nine tackles at Ohio State, including three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He added another same among two TFLs in the Orange Bowl against Florida State.
NFL media draft analyst Mike Mayock observed: “This kid has length, power and athletic ability. He reminds me physically of Carlos Dunlap … when Dunlap came out of Florida. He’s got length, power, movement skills. He was a one-year starter, which makes me question where he was before that with all this length and talent.
"Carlos Dunlap is a good comparison, except Dunlap ran 4.7, this kid ran 4.92 [at the combine]. I don’t think he has quite the same twitch. However, he made plays. I thought his best game was Ohio State to be honest with you — he had 2.5 sacks, he played really well in the run game and I thought if he played like that, the way he did against Ohio State every single week of the year, he would have been a top-10 pick.”
Charlton becomes the first Michigan defensive end taken in the first round of the draft since Brandon Graham went to the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 13 pick in the 2010 selection process.
The former Pickerington, Ohio, standout finished his Michigan career with 94 tackles, with 28 tackles for loss and 19 sacks.
ESPN noted that makes two first-round picks for the Wolverines this year, as many as they've had the past 10 years combined.
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