Top 10 offensive tackles Washington Football Team could add in 2021 NFL Draft
When looking at Jackson Carman, there’s a lot to like about him, especially from a size perspective. The Clemson Tigers blindside blocker has an NFL-ready 6-foot-5, 335-pound frame that should allow him to hold up at tackle or be an effective guard if a team were to consider him as an interior player.
Additionally, Carman checks the boxes in terms of experience. He played 40 games during his college career and started 27 of them. He was the starting left tackle for the last two seasons at Clemson and did well protecting Trevor Lawrence. That type of experience protecting a top-tier tackle will come in handy at the NFL level.
On tape, Carman shows an ability to use his frame well. He’s powerful and is particularly good and using his hands to punch off the line of scrimmage to hit edge players early and knock them off their path.
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So, what’s not to like about Carman? Well, there are some concerns about his overall athletic ability. Some believe he’ll have to move to guard at the next level while some believe he can remain at tackle. For that reason, he’s a bit of a polarizing prospect.
Carman also plays a bit off-balance at times. While he’s good with his hands, he can get a bit too aggressive in attempting to hit pass rushers out of the gate. That opens up opportunities for faster rushers to get by him while he resets, so that could prove to be a problem at the NFL level. Cleaning up his technique will go a long way toward helping Carman succeed.
But even if he does that, there are concerns about just how athletic he is. He may only be decent, and if that turns out to be the case, he may be limited to playing right tackle or guard at the next level.
If Washington is looking for a road-grader in the run game on the right side of the line, Carman would fit the bill. As such, Carman certainly wouldn’t be a bad selection, as he could emerge as a good-sized heir apparent to Morgan Moses or Brandon Scherff if they think he’s more of a guard.
That said, there are other likely top-50 picks that have better potential than Carman.