Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Tank Carradine
Defensive End
FSU
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 273 pounds
What I like — Carradine is a physically imposing figure, and is not like these long, lean edge rushing hybrids everyone is so enamored with. Instead, Carradine is tall and long, but thick with a powerful upper body and legs like tree trunks. It fits with his style of play as well, as oftentimes he overpowers left tackles with a strong punch and a dominant bull rush.
That’s not to say he can’t come off the edge, because he can. He has a very good first step, an excellent understanding of leverage, and does a very good job dipping his shoulder and turning the corner. The difference comes in when he can’t get the corner. Smaller pass rushers get run upfield where they have to use their raw speed to recover while for Carradine, it comes back to strength.
Carradine is also a good run defender. He’s a smart player who is very good breaking down the play and can shuck an offensive lineman and pursue. He takes good angles and works well inside or outside. His effort is tremendous and he never gives up on a play. In both the run game and as a pass rusher, Carradine is very good in the open field. He understands how to break down, freeze the ball carrier and he’s a sound and powerful tackler.
What I don’t like — Carradine is big. Possibly too big to move to a 3-4 outside linebacker. If he can get down into the upper 250s, he would be a better fit. But as it stands, what you get when you draft Carradine is a talented, productive defensive end with limited experience, coming off a torn ACL five months ago. The limited experience paired with the injury concerns is going to cause teams to pause.
You mix in the fact that he’s not going to blow teams away with raw athletic ability and he has what can be perceived as a limited ceiling. Also, while he is confident he can play standing up and drop into coverage, it isn’t something he has any experience with.
Also, it’s important to note that starting the 2012 college football season, Carradine wasn’t a starter. He was sure to be part of a rotation, but it’s fairly certain he would have been less productive if not for an injury to defensive end Brandon Jenkins very early in the season. It doesn’t mean he isn’t talented, but he might not have had an opportunity otherwise.
What it all means — Carradine is a bit of an enigma. He does have limited experience and he is coming off an injury. But the 11 games of film we have on him are tremendous. Carradine is a bit of a throwback player. He gets his tackles and sacks by hard work many times, but fans like to see the flash.
Carradine isn’t without flash, but that’s not the basis of his game. His game is based on being technically very sound, having a nice mix of pass rush moves, and a motor that won’t stop. I think at this point he’s going to be able to help a team as a rookie, which is remarkable and real testament to his work ethic, but I have cooled on the idea of him playing a pure 3-4 rush outside linebacker unless he can trim down.
The fact that he was able to run a 4.75 40 yard dash 135 days after tearing his ACL is hard to believe, but when you consider he was able to do that, can you really doubt anything he can accomplish?
Where he’s drafted is a great mystery. I think his pro day performance shows his health and will help him hold onto a mid to late-first round grade, but which team is willing to take the chance on him? Some have said his best bet might be to get up around 285 pounds and work as a 3-4 defensive end.
Ultimately, that could be his best fit but regardless, he’s a great football player that is going to make some team very happy.
Curt covers the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL draft, and college football for Rant Sports. Connect with Curt on Twitter @nfldraftboard.
