Caelen Carson

Caelen Carson attended North Point High School in his home town of Waldorf, MD. He had his best high school football season in his junior year when he recorded 52 tackles, 1 interception, and 13 passes defended. Coming out of high school, Carson had a 3-star recruit rating from both ESPN and 247sports, while having a 2-star rating from Rivals.com. He was 6’0” and 175 pounds at this time. He signed with Wake Forest in June of 2019. Carson has had a consistent college career in his first three seasons. He played in 25 games over these three years and notched 78 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for losses. He also had 3 interceptions and 21 passes defended. He has played behind a couple corners in his career who have been drafted to the NFL, which has helped to prepare him for the next step. He’s matured into his frame, adding 20 pounds, allowing him to play stronger and more physically. He’s now 6’0” and 195 pounds which makes him much more NFL-ready. Carson is the #1 corner on the depth chart for Wake Forest and has played in 11 games this season, recording 42 tackles and 8 passes defended. Caelen Carson’s game is physical, fast, and he plays with a high football IQ, always seeming to be aware of what’s happening on the field. He’s an adequate tackler for his position and when he reads an underneath route, he arrives at the same time as the football, delivering a strong hit. He possesses the necessary speed to keep up with NFL receivers in a variety of coverage schemes while also being able to recover from any missteps he takes along the way. He tracks the ball well in the air and uses his strong hands to break up passes or go vertical to make an interception. Carson’s great coverage skillset will make him a solid addition to any defense in this year’s draft. Carson, however, tends to be lazy in his mechanics and technique, drawing unnecessary flags. For example, he doesn’t always get his hips turned early enough, which can lead to him giving up big plays and sometimes, he plays with too much physicality (overuse of his hands), again forcing officials to drop more flags than necessary. When he lags in coverage, he tends to grab at his receiver instead of using his speed to recover.