Charles Tapper

Jiggyfly

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OVERVIEW
Tapper was named first-team All-Big 12 as a sophomore in 2013, but only managed honorable mention accolades last season due to a drop in productivity (nine tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks in 2013; 7.5 and three in 2014.) He bounced back in his last tour of Norman, helping the Sooners compete for a national title with another first-team all-conference effort (50 tackles, 10 for loss, seven sacks). The Sports Illustrated honorable mention All-American has a strong all-around game that the NFL will appreciate.

ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS Good size and build. Has natural power at the point of attack. Shows some ability to battle and fight for his area of grass. Technique is flawed in many areas, but has some traits. If he ever learns to drop pad level, has effective bull-*rush potential. May have the body type to play 3-*4 defensive end or 4*-3 base end. Has some straight-line speed to close out the quarterback in space. Heavy tackler who can thump runners. Showed some positive flashes late in the season of what he might become. Raw with room to develop.

WEAKNESSES Offsets natural power and strength with terrible pad level too often. Offers minimal value as third down player. Plays with very little dynamic movement as a pass rusher and usually just crashes straight ahead with no real plan. Hand usage needs major work. Doesn’t use hands effectively to control the point of attack or to improve his position as a pass rusher. Needs to play square and control gaps when engaged laterally against the run. Instincts and awareness are way off from where they need to be. Slow to see plays developing and can be even slower to disengage from blocks to make tackles near the line of scrimmage.

DRAFT PROJECTION Rounds 3 or 4

NFL COMPARISON Jack Crawford
 

Cotton

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Cowboys’ fourth-round pick Charles Tapper had an interesting path to football

BY DREW DAVISON
ddavison@star-telegram.com

Charles Tapper couldn’t have been more thrilled to receive a call from the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday afternoon.

Who wouldn’t want to see their dreams realized?

The Cowboys used their fourth-round pick on Tapper, a speedy defensive end prospect out of Oklahoma. Tapper is expected to join the rotation mix and has a chance to make an immediate impact considering the Cowboys lack of pass rushing depth.

“I’m super excited to get that opportunity,” said Tapper, who ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash.

“The depth chart is pretty short, and I am hoping to step in and help some of the vets get out there. Whatever it takes – if I have to start out on special teams – whatever it takes I am going to do. I am definitely looking forward to that challenge, and I am going to do it in a respectful manner.”

Tapper had an unusual journey to the NFL, though. This is a guy who didn’t start playing the sport until his junior year of high school.

Tapper grew up in basketball-crazed Baltimore, and excelled at the sport. He never had a real reason to stop playing it.

But, before his junior year, his mom Rhonda approached him with an option. She thought her son had too much free time, so he had to get a job or start playing football.

Football sounded slightly more appealing than a job at the time, although Tapper wasn’t all-in. He begrudgingly played wide receiver, but had the mindset of underperforming and dropping passes so he could get cut.

“In my head I was going out there, act like I’m giving my best and just get cut,” Tapper said, with a little chuckle.

Eventually that changed when he started training with Cory Robinson. Robinson posed a question that stuck with Tapper: Would he rather drive Hondas or Lamborghinis in the future?

Football proved to be the best bet to Lamborghinis and Tapper committed himself to becoming great. He hit the weight room and took time to understand the fundamentals of the game.

Robinson got Tapper ready for the U.S. Army National Combine in San Antonio. In Texas, Tapper caught the eye of Oklahoma and received an offer to continue his football career. That’s when Tapper realized football was his sport.

“When I was in Baltimore, I didn’t really get the concept of it,” Tapper said. “I didn’t understand the strategy behind it. I couldn’t tell you the different techniques. When me and Cory worked out that’s when I started to realize I could really love the aggression to this game, the fight to this game.

“When I got to my sophomore year of college, I was like I definitely love this game like I’m going to put that basketball down and I’m going to focus on being the greatest I could try to be.”

Tapper became a starter as a sophomore with the Sooners, and went on to start every game as a junior and senior. He finished his college career with 15.5 sacks, 26.5 tackles for loss and six pass breakups.

What kind of player has he developed into?

“High motor, raw, passionate player,” Tapper said. “Every play I am going to go out there like it’s my last. Whatever coach tells me to do, I am going to go out there and do it 110 miles per hour.”

Improving the pass rush ranked as one of the top priorities for the Cowboys going into the draft, but they didn’t address it until taking Tapper. This is a team that had only 31 sacks a season ago, and 28 in 2014.

But they might have found a steal in Tapper. Dane Brugler, an analyst for NFLDraftScout.com and CBS Sports, had Tapper as the 14th-best pass rushing prospect in this year’s class.

“Although he needs to develop his technique and pad level, Tapper is well-built with NFL strength, length, speed and upside, especially considering he didn’t play football until his junior year in high school,” Brugler said.
 

Jiggyfly

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Very interesting prospect it seems he has a lot of growth left as a player since he started so late.
 

ravidubey

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Improving the pass rush ranked as one of the top priorities for the Cowboys going into the draft, but they didn’t address it until taking Tapper.
This kind of thinking needs to go away.

Dallas improved the pass rush directly when they drafted Collins.

They even affected it indirectly with Elliott. You score more and burn more clock while scoring, you force the other team to score in less time while simultaneously giving your defense more rest. That means more desperate pass attempts against a fresher defense, hence a better pass rush.

It's all connected.
 

boozeman

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An NFL scout told Bleacher Report that Oklahoma DE Charles Tapper was the best pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Per the scout, Tapper fell because he has the sickle cell trait. The condition doesn't effect Tapper much and may only hinder him in high altitudes, something to keep an eye on if Dallas ever travels to Denver down the road. The 6-foot-4, 271-pound Tapper is a tooled-up athlete whose 40-yard dash of 4.59 seconds paced all defensive linemen at the Combine, where he finished with the highest SPARQ score. There's big upside here.


Source: Bleacher
 

Joe Fan

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An NFL scout told Bleacher Report that Oklahoma DE Charles Tapper was the best pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Per the scout, Tapper fell because he has the sickle cell trait. The condition doesn't effect Tapper much and may only hinder him in high altitudes, something to keep an eye on if Dallas ever travels to Denver down the road. The 6-foot-4, 271-pound Tapper is a tooled-up athlete whose 40-yard dash of 4.59 seconds paced all defensive linemen at the Combine, where he finished with the highest SPARQ score. There's big upside here.


Source: Bleacher
Hmm, that's interesting indeed. Here's hoping that it doesn't impact him too much.

I will say that's one hell of a 40 time for someone that large.
 

dallen

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“In my head I was going out there, act like I’m giving my best and just get cut,” Tapper said, with a little chuckle.

Eventually that changed when he started training with Cory Robinson. Robinson posed a question that stuck with Tapper: Would he rather drive Hondas or Lamborghinis in the future?

Football proved to be the best bet to Lamborghinis and Tapper committed himself to becoming great. He hit the weight room and took time to understand the fundamentals of the game.
This part is a little concerning.
 

Simpleton

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Yea it sounded like his mom basically forced him into playing and he didn't want to. You could argue that maybe once he gets paid he'll completely loaf around but I doubt it at this point.
 

skidadl

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I'm cool when you combine a high SPARQ with on thr field production. My concern is when you have a high SPARQ but not much on the field to show for it.
Tech fans learned that first hand when we had a LBer transfer in from Ohio State. The dude had out of this world SPARQ scores. A 5 start speedster that couldn't play football terrible.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Yea it sounded like his mom basically forced him into playing and he didn't want to. You could argue that maybe once he gets paid he'll completely loaf around but I doubt it at this point.
To be fair though he also said:

“When I got to my sophomore year of college, I was like I definitely love this game like I’m going to put that basketball down and I’m going to focus on being the greatest I could try to be.”

Sounds to me more like he just didn't know football as a kid.
 

L.T. Fan

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If he was a slacker he would not have come this far. I don't look for him to turn his motor off.
 

boozeman

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What drives me crazy watching Tapper is seeing him in a five point stance a lot.

If he is a talented as he tested and so on, is Stoops just a shithead?

Not big into how OU operates. Just asking for a friend.
 

L.T. Fan

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What drives me crazy watching Tapper is seeing him in a five point stance a lot.

If he is a talented as he tested and so on, is Stoops just a shithead?

Not big into how OU operates. Just asking for a friend.
Does he have a, kangaroo tail or is it a tripod stance? :art
 

Cowboysrock55

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What drives me crazy watching Tapper is seeing him in a five point stance a lot.

If he is a talented as he tested and so on, is Stoops just a shithead?

Not big into how OU operates. Just asking for a friend.
I agree, you have a 270 pound guy with that type of speed and you use him as a 5 technique? Just seems really dumb. Put someone else there and let Tapper rush the passer. If he can get 7 sacks as a 5 technique imagine what he would have done rushing the passer from outside the tackle. I bet he could have put up Ogbah sack numbers.
 

ravidubey

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What drives me crazy watching Tapper is seeing him in a five point stance a lot.

If he is a talented as he tested and so on, is Stoops just a shithead?

Not big into how OU operates. Just asking for a friend.

Could be just allocation of resources. If you have guys who are above average on the outside but terrible inside, then you probably make the most of the whole defense putting Tapper at 5 and the other two on the ends. This way you get three playmakers instead of just two.
 
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