Caelen Carson

Cowboys selected Wake Forest CB Caelen Carson with the No. 174 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Carson (5’117/199) is a physical man-coverage corner with a harassing demeanor at the line of scrimmage and jolting hands that jam opposing wideouts in press coverage. He has good field awareness, is consistently peaking in the backfield and isn’t afraid to lay the heavy hit on the ball carrier. Primarily lining up outside, 521 of his 650 reps this year were on the boundary, Carson possesses notable ball hawking tendencies, having swatted away seven or more pass breaks up the last three seasons. Despite grading in the 72nd percentile or higher in coverage each of his four years at Wake Forest, he only recorded three interceptions. He displays advanced straight line speed which allows him to give space pre-snap and close quickly, but he can get turned around at the top of routes. He didn’t test at the Combine, but Carson flashes educated footwork and can get in and out of breaks with haste. He will take some bad angles in run support, which accounts for his 68th percentile PFF run grade in 2023.