The defensive end now joins a cast of characters that finished 26th in pass defense last year but did finish middle of the road in sacks.
Where does Taco Charlton fit in Rod Marinelli's defense?
He played primarily strong side defensive end in a 4-3 front. Now what does that mean?
The strong side of the formation is whichever side the tight end is lined up on, the stronger side of the offensive formation. The 4-3 front means four lineman and three linebackers.
So this means Charlton should slide into the same position in Dallas but what happens to the current Cowboys?
2016 breakout player David Irving started the strong side defensive end position in the playoff game against Green Bay. Irving became an impact player on the defensive line down the stretch against the run and the pass.
Are you willing to move an impact and breakout player from a position he was most effective in?
I didn't think so, what to do with Charlton?
Perhaps he can play on the opposite side as a weak side defensive end.
Taco measured in at the combine at 6'5" and 277 pounds running 4.92 second forty yard dash. He is significantly less explosive an athlete than the other 2 pass rushers selected in the first round such as Myles Garrett, Derek Barnett and Charles Harris.
Bottom line, Charlton is not talented enough to be a weak side rusher in the NFL. What does the film say?
I evaluated four games of Taco Charlton during his 2016 report with his performances against Ohio State and Wisconsin pulled for analysis here.
Charlton had his best performance of the year against Ohio State without question and he went up against legit competition at Wisconsin in Ryan Ramczyk who was the Saint's first round selection.
Here is the premier match up with Charlton, wears #33, is lined up over Ramczyk, wears #65. Without a doubt, his favorite move is the spin move that Dwight Freeney made famous with the Colts. Impressive play.
Those combine numbers suggest he is not an explosive quick edge rusher who can turn the corner with speed at the next level when he goes against the best pass protectors in the world. The film supports those numbers unfortunately for him.
Ohio State is a pro football factory churning out top prospects year after year on both sides of the ball. Pat Elflein, wears #65, is the top center prospect in the draft and on this play he pulls out to line up against Charlton. The athletic pass rusher does exactly what he should do against a center in space. I like his use of hands to get off the block quickly and finish the play to the QB.
Fans of the combine always flock to the 40 yard dash as the premier event. However it is the first 10 yards that really counts when consider quickness from the snap. Taco Charlton ran the 40 yard dash in 4.92 seconds which is slow but his 10 yard time was 1.70. But how fast is that? Lets go to those explosive rushers mentioned earlier and compare. Garrett was 1.63, Barnett was 1.70 and Harris was 1.65. This means Charlton has solid, not elite level burst off the snap. However you can see here that he can shoot the gaps and make plays behind the line.
3rd down is the money down for both an offense and defense. If you are a pass rusher, you must be able to generate pressure on 3rd downs or your defense is destined to be torn apart. His strong hands to get under the hands of the tackle and force his way to the pocket with good balance and burst.
He is not an elite quick twitch or someone who can really bend low to the ground to turn the corner with elite speed like Von Miller, Demarcus Ware or Myles Garrett. He is able to use his hands well and enough athleticism to make it work on the outside.
I argue that Charlton is an adequate weak side rusher but would be best to move to the strong side or inside on passing downs, slide David Irving to tackle and bring in a smaller guy such as Benson Mayowa to the weak side.
I wrote in my report that he reminds me of former North Carolina Tar Heel and Cowboy Greg Ellis who was a solid pass rusher but never an elite guy. The media reported Taco comparisons to another former Cowboy Tony Tolbert which is a good match as well.
Bottom line, Dallas got a good, not elite player who will help their defense next year without question.
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