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Michigan senior defensive end Taco Charlton is aiming for a big season.
(Dominic Valente | MLive.com)
ANN ARBOR -- On a roster sheet, Taco Charlton's always had everything he needs to be great.
A 6-foot-6, 285-pound pass rusher with long arms and fast feet, Charlton checks off just about every athletic measurable a pro or college scout looks for while grading a player.
He's strong enough to play inside. Fast enough to play outside. His athleticism is off the charts, enough to make Michigan basketball coach John Beilein do a serious double take back in 2012 while he was recruiting Caris LeVert -- Charlton's good friend and old high school teammate.
But until now, everything for Charlton away from the roster sheet -- and on the field -- has been stop and start. At times he looks terrific. Other times he's tough to find.
This year, his final year at Michigan, Charlton says there's no excuse. He has to be great.
"I'm going to set my expectations higher than anyone else can set them," Charlton said last month in Ann Arbor. "As a d-line we do the same thing collectively, together. We hold ourselves to that point. We feel like we can be the best. But it doesn't mean anything just saying it.
"We have to go out and prove it."
To date, Charlton's numbers don't exactly jump off the page. He's only made four career starts and he was more of a rotation player during his first two seasons, despite entering the program with plenty of hype.
A year ago, though, Charlton made a strong finish to the 2015 season -- finishing with 5 1/2 sacks and 8 1/2 tackles for loss as a 3-4 defensive end in D.J. Durkin's defense.
His snap count wasn't terribly high, but he still managed to make an impact and turn heads as the year went on. Per Pro Football Focus, Charlton generated a total of 41 pressures last season and was the sixth-best defensive end against the pass in 2015.
He's played inside and outside during his career. But this season, he'll be back on the edge as a weakside rusher in Don Brown's 4-3 scheme.
"We're seniors now, we've been here too long. There's no excuses (now)," Charlton said. "Last year we had some injuries, but at this point, it's next man up. We've got to be ready for things to happen. We feel like it's our time to finally take over and show people what we can do.
"Last year we played in the 3-4 and (I was at a) tackle-type position. Now I'm back outside in a 4-3 defense doing what I'm more comfortable doing. Now I can get back to rushing that passer on the outside and using my speed a little bit more."
For Charlton, 2016 isn't just his senior year and final chance to win a title at Michigan, it's also the college equivalent of a contract year.
His measurables have him on the radar of just about every NFL scout with a frequent flyer account. But if he's going to shoot up the draft board next spring, he's going to have to have the type of breakout year pro teams (and Michigan) believe he's capable of.
Charlton says he's spent more time in the film room this offseason than he ever has before. But not just Michigan tape study. He's spent several hours watching professional defensive ends, studying their pass rush moves and general fundamentals.
He's watched extensive tape on Kansas City pass rushers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston. He's also studied a lot of Cameron Wake and Oliver Vernon film. Last month, he got a chance to spent time with former Michigan star LaMarr Woodley at the team's big man lineman camp.
Anything he can get, he's soaking up.
"I tried to take over more of a (leadership) role with the young guys, I got more heavy into doing the extra stuff," he said. "Extra drill work. Extra film on NFL guys. I want to improve my game.
"I want to have a great year."
How great, exactly, will be up to him.
Charlton is still close friends with former Michigan defensive end Frank Clark, who also put up relatively up and down numbers during his first three years at Michigan before breaking out as a senior (a year that was cut short due to a late-season arrest).
If Charlton can pull off the same statistical jump, bright things should be ahead for him and Michigan's defense.
"I've got some (goals) in my head, I'm not going to put them out there," he said. "But I've got some high expectations for myself."
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