The Dallas Cowboys chose former Wake Forest cornerback Caelen Carson in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, with the No. 1174 overall pick, adding depth to a secondary that produced an All-Pro cornerback last season.
“He’s a big corner,” an NFC scout told Heavy, when asked how Carson fits the Cowboys’ system. “He’s physical, but he only has average speed.”
Last season, Carson, 6 feet and 199 pounds, produced a career-high 42 tackles with one tackle for loss while breaking up eight passes, with one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
The Cowboys have a strong depth chart at cornerback, with All-Pro DaRon Bland coming off a nine-interception season in which he returned five for touchdowns and Trevon Diggs likely returning from a torn ACL.
However, Carson can provide quality depth and could allow the Cowboys to let Stephon Gilmore walk via free agency rather than make any sort of 11th-hour overture to bring back the 33-year-old five-time Pro Bowler.
Calen Carson Scouting Report
Carson started all 11 games for the Tigers last season, before suffering a toe injury leading into the regular season finale.
Across four collegiate seasons, Carson produced 120 total tackles with three interceptions, 26 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and 2.5 tackles for loss.
“When in press coverage,” the Bleacher Report Scouting Department writes. “Carson shows his lateral movement at the line of scrimmage. While working down the field, he does a good job of sinking his hips to match receiver’s breaks. Though he has good footwork, he can be out of control at times, causing him to lack the burst needed to compete at the catch point. He also struggles to cover bigger receivers down the field at times, as he lacks the ability to play above the rim.
“Carson is a more-than-willing run defender, He makes quick reads and triggers downhill. When taking on blocks, he shows his physicality to shock and control the blocker. While using his hands and short-area quickness, he does a very good job of disengaging and getting to the ball. However, he’s inconsistent between tackling receivers and running backs.”
Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus points out that quarterbacks feasted against him posting a 98.2 passer rating when targeting him, while surrendering 36 receptions and four touchdowns in 64 targets.
It is entirely possible that the Cowboys view Carson as a nickel cornerback, or even a safety, given that PFF gives him a strong 83.4 run-stopping grade.
Jerry Jones All-In on Cowboys’ First-Round Pick
While the Dallas’ offseason hasn’t lived up to owner Jerry Jones’ ‘all-in’ comments leading into the Senior Bowl, the Cowboys’ owner has high hopes for first-round offensive tackle Tyler Guyton.
“You would hope – it is hard to do with offensive lineman – you would hope to have a little sexiness to this pick using your first round pick,” Jerry Jones said, via CBS Sports. “I actually thought we had that with Tyler Smith two years ago. I think we have it here. This is a sexy pick for an offensive lineman, because he has a lot of upside. I am excited about that.”
Guyton, 6-foot-7 and 327 pounds, should have the opportunity to replace Tyron Smith at left tackle after allowing just two sacks across the last three seasons in Norman and going the entire 2023 campaign without surrendering a sack.
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NFL Draft 2024: How ‘Big, Physical’ Caelen Carson Fits Cowboys’ Defense