2024 NFL Draft Player Preview: Caelen Carson





  • Caelen Carson, 6-0/195

  • Cornerback

  • Wake Forest


  • Caelen Carson 2024 Preview
    By Charlie Campbell

    Career Recap: Over the previous three seasons, Carson was a steady and productive defender in coverage for the Demon Deacons. He started out by recording 25 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and four passes defended in 2020. In 2021, Carson collected 31 tackles, two picks and seven passes defended. He the recorded 21 tackles and seven passes broken up in 2022.



    2023 Season Outlook: Carson has an easy opening to the 2023 season before taking on some good wide receiver talent in October. Clemson has a group of talented young wideouts who will test Carson, but at the end of the month, he will see his toughest test of the season in Florida State’s Johnny Wilson. The Goliath-sized Wilson is a mismatch problem for all corners. If Carson has good games against Clemson and Wilson, those performances would be huge for his draft stock.

    Skill-Set Summary: Pro teams always need help at the cornerback because the passing game is so key to the modern NFL. Good defenses have three or four talented corners for rotatation and insurance through injuries during the course of a season. Carson should have plenty of franchises hoping to land him in the 2024 NFL Draft because he looks like a future pro starter.

    Carson is a well-rounded corner who makes plays for his defense. He is a gritty and instinctive defender who is a real presence on the back end. With good size and speed, Carson does a nice job of maintaining tight coverage and battling receivers for position. Carson uses his size and length to cover up wideouts, making it very difficult for quarterbacks to get passes by him. Thanks to his good hands and timing, Carson possesses excellent ball skills for slapping away passes. However, Carson could help himself with evalutors by generating more interceptions in 2023. The junior also has impressive speed that gives him a burst to recover, and he can chase down receivers from behind.



    Carson is a physical defensive back who is a willing tackler and does not hesitate to dish out some hard hits. Along with tackling receivers, Carson will come downhill to attack running backs and wideouts on screens in the flat. NFL teams should not have to worry about Carson avoiding tackling in the ground game.

    There will be multiple points of interest about Carson for evaluation this coming season. While he looks very comfortable in press man and zone coverage, can he play off man just as well? Carson is physical and big, but does he have the agility to keep up with elite speed receivers? If Carson answers these questions positively, he definitely could end up being a pick on the opening night of the 2024 NFL Draft.



    2024 NFL Draft Expectations: Carson currently looks like an early-round prospect for the 2024 NFL Draft.






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    2024 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s


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