HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 199

HAND: 8¼"

ARM: 31⅜"

WINGSPAN: 75⅝"

40-YARD DASH: N/A

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: N/A

BROAD: N/A

POSITIVES

— Versatile player with a good split of reps between outside cornerback and slot defender. Can play both off and press coverage from those alignments.

— Smart defender with good route recognition. Plays with good leverage and understanding of schemes.

— Physical defender who uses his hands to take on blocks. Quickly disengages from blockers to make plays in run and screen games.

NEGATIVES

— Below-average eye discipline and awareness in zone coverage. Overaggressive at times and can get caught out of position.

— Average braking ability. Doesn't trust his eyes at times, causing him to be slow out of his breaks and leading to poor footwork. Can take poor initial angles out of breaks and lacks ideal burst.

2023 STATISTICS

— 11 G, 42 TOT, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR, 8 PD

NOTES

— Born March 3, 2002

— 19 career starts

—3-star recruit in the 2020 class, per 247Sports

— 2022 preseason third-team All-ACC (Athlon)

— 2021 preseason second-team All-ACC (PFF)

OVERALL

Caelen Carson is a versatile defender who has two years of experience as a starting cornerback at Wake Forest. He broke up 26 passes and hauled in three interceptions during his four-year collegiate career. Combined with his ability to play from the slot, Carson has shown that he can step up and fill his roles in both the run and pass game.

Carson is a defender with a short memory span. He does a very good job of competing on each rep and moving on to the next one even after giving up a play. He's a versatile defender who can play in both man and zone schemes, although he often gives up too much of a cushion and allows easy catches in front of him in both coverages.

When in press coverage, 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. When tackling running backs, he often dives and doesn't look to wrap up ball-carriers. When looking to tackle receivers, he does a good job of attempting to run his feet through the tackles, though he still shows inconsistency with that.

Ultimately, Carson should be a late Day 3 prospect in the 2024 draft. Though he has versatility as a defender, his lack of on-ball production and tackle security are his biggest pitfalls. He will give depth to a room at multiple positions and should be able to contribute on special teams as well.

GRADE: 5.9 (Backup/Draftable — 6th-7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 181

POSITION RANK: CB26

PRO COMPARISON: Rashad Fenton

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

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