Cornerback has become a position of real strength for the Cowboys in recent years, with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland leading the NFL in interceptions two of the last three seasons.
Their latest fifth-round draft pick is eager to join the party.
Calen Carson was the 174th overall player taken in this year’s draft, and although the team was admittedly hoping one of their targets at the much-needed running back position would be there for them after an 87-pick wait, the six-foot Maryland native provided extraordinary value.
“He was kind of just jumping out at you because of the grade we had on him versus the rest of our board,” Cowboys chief operating office Stephen Jones said during Saturday’s post-draft press conference. “You know, you just have to jump on a guy like that.”
Caelen Carson had Keon Coleman in a blender all game 🔒
🎥: @I_Am_OD3 pic.twitter.com/saJXsDioRn https://t.co/UGCXUcItJa
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) April 27, 2024
Dane Brugler in his draft guide “The Beast” had Carson ranked as the 13th-best corner in the class and projected him to be a third- to fourth-round selection. (He ended up being the 25th corner taken.) To be there at the end of the fifth simply made Carson to good for the Cowboys to pass on. Now it’ll be his job to make it impossible for opposing teams to pass against.
Carson recorded 29 pass breakups in 36 games at Wake Forest, but he tallied just three picks over his college career. That’s a part of his game he’s hoping to improve.
“I would like to turn a lot of my PBUs into interceptions, and that’s coming with trying to go with two [hands] instead of one,” he told The Draft Show after being selected. “I’m looking forward to making those interceptions moving forward.”
Coming to work every day with Diggs and Bland will be a big step toward him achieving that goal.
“Definitely, definitely excited to learn from them,” he said.
Truth is, the learning curve will likely be a sizable one, according to the Cowboys’ pre-draft scouting reports. But in a good way.
“Really raw on technique,” noted VP of player personnel Will McClay, “and a lot of the things that he was doing was a lot on his natural ability. There were some things that we even noticed at the combine visiting with him, asking him questions, this and that. You know that there’s more upside there because of his answers and the things that he as looking at, plus his work ethic and how he competes.”
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What may have really sold the Cowboys on Carson, though, was his tackling. He’s known as a physical corner who prides himself on being a strong presence in run defense, too.
“I came out of high school playing safety, so I’ve always been able to tackle,” he explained. “I just don’t feel like you’re a complete corner if you don’t come up in the run game.”
Again, he’s coming to the right place. Jourdan Lewis was PFF’s highest-graded cornerback in run defense in 2023, with Bland coming in second. They were the only NFL corners (with qualifying snap counts) to finish the season with grades of 90.0 or higher in the category.
He can play inside, he can play outside. He has a knack for defensing passes, but he also loves to roll downhill and pound a ballcarrier.
And now noted DB gurus Mike Zimmer and Al Harris are getting their hands on him, to add him to already impressive stable of ballhawking and run-stopping cornerback thoroughbreds in Dallas.
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