At 6-foot-6 and 272 pounds, there is no doubt Vidauntae “Taco” Charlton could be one of the most sought after edge rusher rushers in the first round of the NFL Draft. Having played at Michigan and causing problems for opposing quarterbacks in the Big Ten. Taco Charlton could be a late first round steal.
Everything came together for him in 2016, garnering first-team All-Big Ten honors after leading Michigan with 9.5 sacks among his 13 tackles for loss. NFL teams that have him on their radar hope there is still plenty of improvement and growth on the next level.
One team, the Dallas Cowboys, could have Charlton in their sights.
According to bloggingtheboys.com, “The Cowboys should be perfectly content staying put at No. 28 and drafting someone to help the secondary, but if the right pass-rush prospect makes it into the 20s, they would have to consider moving up.
“They brought Charlton and Derek Barnett in for private workouts, and with Charlton making it through the early 20s, it makes sense for the Cowboys to make the move and grab a guy who should be a solid starter at worst and a “war daddy” at best.”
Taco Charlton could also wind up in Miami as he could be the heir apparent to Cam Wake and could also help a half dozen other teams needing an edge rusher and end who can play with their hand on the ground or stand up from an outside linebacker position.
In this player profile, we will look at the strengths and weaknesses of Taco Charlton as he moves on to the next level. We also include a few teams that will be interested in adding help to their pass rush.
Strengths
Taco Charlton has a rare combination of size, length and athletic traits as a rusher. Equally, his long-levered frame with athletic, knotted calves makes him hard to defend. Brings freaky athletic traits to the table and is still growing into his body. Likewise, he flashes instant reaction time off of the snap and up the field thanks to his twitch
Weaknesses
His road to the NFL has not had balance. In fact, he earned the full-time starting nod in just his final season. In all honesty, he needs more weight-room work. Additionally, the consistency of anchor at the point of attack is in question. Offensive linemen easily uproot him out of his gap by power. Can do a better job of using his length to keep blockers off him. Doesn’t make enough plays on other side of the line against the run. Thicker tackles might overpower him on the next level.
Teams Interested
Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers