Former NFL general manger and current NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly released his first mock draft of 2017 on Monday and he has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting an edge rusher with their first round pick.
Casserly has the Steelers drafting Michigan edge rusher Taco Charlton 30th overall in his first mock draft of 2017 and here is what he wrote about the selection:
The Steelers need a cornerback and pass rusher, but Alabama TE O.J. Howard might be too highly rated to pass up at this spot.
As you can see, Casserly doesn’t discuss Charlton as a player and that’s disappointing. However, Casserly’s colleague, Lance Zierlein, has already offered up his views on the Michigan product, who he compares to current Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Chandler Jones. Zierlein writes of Charlton:
“Inconsistent” has been the buzzword that has followed Charlton since coming to Michigan, but he began the process of shaking it during his senior season. Charlton is an ascending prospect with the size, length, athleticism and pass-rushing potential that NFL general managers dream of. What you see today might not be what you get. While his production coming out of college will be modest, he could become a substantially better player as a pro if he’s committed to the weight room and willing to absorb coaching. High-impact defensive end with all-pro potential is his ceiling. His floor is solid starter.
Charlton, who played in 46 games at Michigan, registered 94 total tackles during his college career of which 27.5 of them resulted in lost yardage. 18.5 of those were quarterback sacks with 9.5 of them coming during the 2016 season. Charleton, who declined to participate in the 2017 Senior Bowl, is currently listed as measuring 6’6″, 272-pounds.
The last time the Steelers drafted a player out of Michigan was in 2007 when they selected LaMarr Woodley in the second round with the 46th overall selection.
Charlton will most definitely be a player to watch closely during the upcoming NFL scouting combine and you can expect one of us to do a full breakdown of him on the site ahead of that annual event taking place. In the meantime, below is a video of Charlton’s Michigan highlights.
