The Wolverine continues its series of the top 25 Michigan players since 1997 with No. 24, Taco Charlton.
Though Charlton only recently ended his career as a Wolverine, he was crucial to the team's defensive success under Jim Harbaugh.
Charlton came to Michigan as a four-star weakside defensive end and the No. 10 weakside defensive end in the country according to Rivals.com. A native of Pickerington, Ohio, Charlton notched 116 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 19 sacks as a senior at Pickerington Central before joining the Wolverines as a member of the 2013 recruiting class.
Charlton saw the field immediately at Michigan, appearing in 10 games as a freshman and throughout his career he saw action in 46 games. He began to come into his own as a football player with the arrival of Jim Harbaugh and DJ Durkin in 2015, and played his best under the bright lights that season, tallying nine tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss in the final two games of the regular season.
In his final season, Charlton reached his full potential under new defensive coordinator Don Brown. Under Brown, Charlton tore through opposing offensive lines, getting at least one sack in seven of the last 10 games of the regular season, and at least one in each of the final four. Charlton led the charge in the team's narrow loss in the Ohio State game, with the defense collecting eight sacks, the most by a Michigan defense since they tallied nine against Notre Dame in 2007.
Charlton finished the 2016 season with 9.5 sacks, ranking No. 14 in the country and leading the Wolverines. The 9.5 mark is good for No. 10 in school history for a single season, and his career total of 19 ties him for No. 9 in the record book for career sacks with Robert Thompson, who played at Michigan from 1979-82.
The Dallas Cowboy's selected Charlton No. 28 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, making Charlton the highest picked Michigan defensive lineman since the Eagles took Brandon Graham No. 13 overall in 2010. The Cowboys already have high hopes for Charlton, and his development has been tabbed as one of the keys to their season.
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