SPORTS

Michigan's Taco Charlton confident he stands out to NFL scouts

Mark Snyder

Detroit Free Press

INDIANAPOLIS-- Taco Charlton says he isn't looking at mock drafts, or listening to analysts who have him slotted as a fringe top-10 pick in the NFL draft.

Former Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton speaks at the NFL combine on March 4, 2017.

The former Michigan defensive lineman says he's simply approaching this week's NFL combine "like an undrafted free agent."

"I'm versatile, I play a little bit of every position, I play inside, outside, I play heavy, I play light, I play a little bit of everything," Charlton said Saturday at the Indianapolis Convention Center. "My arsenal's pretty wide. I can stab, I can bull, I can spin, I can speed rush. The arsenal I have and the combination of positions I've played -- three-tech, four-tech, five-tech, weak-side end. All of those things add up to separate me a little bit."

It's a good sales pitch, but his boosted stock is more closely related to his performance.

Against Ohio State and Florida State this past season, Charlton totaled 14 tackles and five sacks, showing that he can be a disruptive force when healthy. that when he's healthy, he may be unstoppable.

"The player you get now is going to be a way better player in the future," he said.

Charlton had 13.5 sacks as a senior, by far his best season and he played his best at the end of it.

Charlton battled a sprained ankle early in the season and said he wasn't 100% until about a month ago in training. But much of his progress comes from having settled in a 4-3 defense at end.

"A lot of the credit I give to (defensive coordinator) Don Brown," Charlton said. "He gave me the reins and said this is going to be your spot, you're going to be free and I'm going to be playing my game. A lot of that credit I'm going to coach Brown and what he's done for me. He just let me play my game and from day one he has faith in what I could do. He believed in me when he watched film of my junior year and said my senior year it was only a matter of time. He let me show my talent and I made sure not to let him down."

Charlton is enjoying the back and forth with defensive line teammates Ryan Glasgow and Chris Wormley, who are among Michigan's 14 combine invitees.

One of Charlton's greatest assets is his length, measuring 6-foot-5 5 5/8 and weighing a lean 277 pounds, which helps with his successful spin move. He also showed his strength, putting up 25 bench-press reps of 225 pounds, ranking 13th among defensive linemen.

"The best thing about my game is probably my pass-rushing ability," Charlton said. "I want to be unstoppable. I'm somebody who won't stop until I feel like I'm one of the best out there."

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Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!