NFL analyst predicts Taco Charlton to be Defensive Rookie of the Year

Smitty

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NFL.com predicts that Taco Charlton will win 2017’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.
by Michael Sisemore@MrSisemore Jul 19, 2017, 2:00pm CDT

NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison released his bold predictions for the NFC and he had an interesting one for the Dallas Cowboys:

Dallas Cowboys: Taco Charlton is Defensive Rookie of the Year.

No rookie is in a better position to help his team immediately than Charlton -- and no team needs more help from a rookie than Dallas does from Charlton. The Cowboys recorded 36 sacks last season, a so-so figure made decidedly less relevant by the fact that opposing quarterbacks attempted 633 passes against them. Moreover, the team's leading "edge rusher" (a term I use generously), Benson Mayowa, garnered six whole sacks. Get excited. Charlton was an impact player at Michigan, a football powerhouse. He's a full-time player. He will also get every chance to play, and earn those Taco Bueno deals. Side note: They have the best bean burritos. Better than Taco Cabana or Taco Bell.

It’s a pretty bold prediction from Harrison but it’s not impossible. The Cowboys’ pass rushing woes have been lamented over and over again in the past several years. Dallas has tried multiple solutions from free agent rentals to draft picks with baggage but nothing has worked out the way they hoped.

Taco Charlton is the sole first-round pass rusher the Cowboys have drafted since taking Anthony Spencer ten years ago. He’s also the first pass rusher selected in the first round for defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli since coming to the Cowboys. Taking Taco Charlton in the first round is a significant move as Marinelli has been known to be picky to the say the least.

There are two things that Harrison is dismissing though that will make it tough for Charlton to win such an award. The “no rookie is in a better position to help his team” theory would imply that Charlton is the best pass rusher on the team. Though Joey Bosa won it last year, it’s really difficult for rookie pass rushers to have success. It takes seasoning to learn how to win against the tackles in this league. Charlton wins with his combination of length and power. Going against Tyron Smith every day will certainly help his chances but there are more experienced pass rushers in front of him at this point.

The second part of that where he states that “no team needs more from a rookie than Dallas does” is debatable. There are several teams that traded up in the first round for a quarterback. A team like the Texans come to mind, where their best chance of returning to the playoffs is with their rookie quarterback, DeShaun Watson. Of course that is on offense, so maybe Elliott was limiting that comment to defense.

Though Taco makes this defense better on the depth chart, there is no guarantee that Charlton will be starting once the season begins. Marinelli is so dedicated to the idea of a solid eight-man rotation and he’s more likely to go with a veteran starting four. That would mean that Charlton would be entering the mix in certain packages. He may very well end up winning a starting job but it’s an uphill climb.

Do the Cowboys need Taco Charlton to perform well? Absolutely, they also need to help him develop as an edge rusher and that takes a little time. Also, consider that the Cowboys don’t have a single edge rusher that demands double teams as of right now. If Taco Charlton is starting on one side and DeMarcus Lawrence on the other, that’s two relatively unknown/unaccomplished commodities rushing off the edge. Bosa got the award just last year but he also had Melvin Ingram rushing on the opposite side.

In order for Taco Charlton to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, he’s going to need help from his counterparts to get there. He’ll likely need to crank out ten or more sacks and that means someone has to emerge to help him. Maybe the combination of a Maliek Collins and Stephen Paea collapsing pockets will free Charlton up to hit those kinds of numbers. Maybe Lawrence will have a breakout season in a contract year and that will help Taco’s chances. Maybe Hot-Rod will finally have the perfect eight-man rotation wreaking havoc on the league. That’s a lot of maybes but one can hope and if Harrison’s prediction comes to fruition, there will be a ton of smiling faces in Dallas. Who knows, there may even be some confetti and champagne.
 

Simpleton

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Charlton won't put up enough stats to win it, I expect somewhere around 4-6 sacks out of him, which isn't eye-popping enough unless there just aren't any standout performers.

Haason Reddick is my guy to win it. Aside from the fact that he was one of my favorites in the class I think he will have a large role with Bucannon likely to miss the first few games and Dansby being old as shit, and their multiple defense will use him creatively, blitzing from different angles and such.

I could easily see him ending up with like 60-70 tackles, a couple sacks, an interception or two, and along with a couple flash plays those types of stats would be enough for a field-LB to win DROY.
 

dallen

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Even if he has a great year I don't see how he could have the stats to win DROY.
 

boozeman

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Even if he has a great year I don't see how he could have the stats to win DROY.
DROY is a transformative player. A rookie end winning that would be remarkable. He is not that kind of talent.
 

midswat

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Roy Williams was robbed of this award in 2002.
 

DLK150

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If they put him at one position, leave him there and quit dropping the DL into coverage, maaaaaybe but this staff likes to shuffle players around the line so I doubt it. Plus, he's a rookie and will have to go through the adjustment to the playing speed at the pro level. I also don't think he's really that talented. If he managed double digit sacks it would border on being a miracle.
 

Cowboysrock55

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DROY is a transformative player. A rookie end winning that would be remarkable. He is not that kind of talent.
A rookie DE won it last year...

If he puts up 10 sacks he could absolutely win it. And while I wouldn't predict that, it is certainly possible. If you ask me what I think Charleton does as a rookie it's probably 5-8 sacks.
 

ravidubey

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Roy Williams was robbed of this award in 2002.
Julius Peppers deserved it with 12 sacks and a pick. Freeny's 13 sacks put him neck and neck. Ed Reed was probably better than Roy as well.

Ranking Roy near those three...
 

Cowboysrock55

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Julius Peppers deserved it with 12 sacks and a pick. Freeny's 13 sacks put him neck and neck. Ed Reed was probably better than Roy as well.

Ranking Roy near those three...
Talk about an impressive class.
 

boozeman

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I will go ahead and bet the mortgage that Taco Charlton will not be rookie of the year.
 

midswat

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Julius Peppers deserved it with 12 sacks and a pick. Freeny's 13 sacks put him neck and neck. Ed Reed was probably better than Roy as well.

Ranking Roy near those three...
:lol

The last of the ROY!!! STAY DOWN BIZNATCH!!!1!!!! crowd rears it's ugly head.
Oh I hate Roy Williams now, and wanted him gone as early as 2006.

But I was an idiot homer in 2002 and Roy was my homeboy that year.

Video quality is putrid, but jesus did I watch this a lot back in the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J47fFEpNAA
 

dallen

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Oh I hate Roy Williams now, and wanted him gone as early as 2006.

But I was an idiot homer in 2002 and Roy was my homeboy that year.

Video quality is putrid, but jesus did I watch this a lot back in the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J47fFEpNAA
I knew exactly what video that was without clicking. :lol I'm not sure I've ever been as disappointed in someone's career as I was in his. He was DROY-level his rookie year. I don't think he was robbed because it was such a strong class, but if he came out a different year he could have definitely won it.
 

ravidubey

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He was DROY-level his rookie year. I don't think he was robbed because it was such a strong class, but if he came out a different year he could have definitely won it.
He was in the neighborhood I will admit.

And if he had won, he'd have had to take Woody out to dinner for a year.
 

1bigfan13

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Assuming he doesn't get suspended or sent off to jail, Jourdan Lewis is the Cowboys' rookie who I think will have the best shot at winning DROY or at least making an All-Rookie team.
 

1bigfan13

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Roy Williams circa 2002-2004 was a legit stud. He was arguably one of the top 5 Strong Safeties in the game during that period. I think he probably would have had a long distinguished career had he came into the league during the early 90s.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Assuming he doesn't get suspended or sent off to jail, Jourdan Lewis is the Cowboys' rookie who I think will have the best shot at winning DROY or at least making an All-Rookie team.
Yeah I think he will be a really good player for us. Even if it's just in the slot I expect him to make a big impact there.
 

Simpleton

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Assuming he doesn't get suspended or sent off to jail, Jourdan Lewis is the Cowboys' rookie who I think will have the best shot at winning DROY or at least making an All-Rookie team.
Awuzie is better and should be on the field more given his versatility to play safety or CB, as well as his size to play outside CB. If someone makes it I think it's him.
 

DLK150

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Roy Williams circa 2002-2004 was a legit stud. He was arguably one of the top 5 Strong Safeties in the game during that period. I think he probably would have had a long distinguished career had he came into the league during the early 90s.
Yeah, he was a helluva player early in his career. Then later on he tried to tackle just by throwing a shoulder at someone instead of wrapping up. Big hits, INTs, safety blitzes, he could do it all.

Wasn't it a running joke that he became pussified after getting married or finding religion, something like that?
 
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