Caelen Carson (born March 3, 2002) is an American professional football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
| No. 21 – Dallas Cowboys | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | March 3, 2002 Waldorf, Maryland, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | North Point (Waldorf, Maryland) |
| College: | Wake Forest (2020–2023) |
| NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 5 / pick: 174 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
High school career
editCarson attended North Point High School in Waldorf, Maryland, where he was a wide receiver and a cornerback on the football team. He helped them reach the Maryland 4A state championship, while they had a 13-1 record. Carson was a first team All-Southern Maryland selection.[1]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caelen Carson CB |
Waldorf, MD | North Point | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jun 5, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
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| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: Unranked 247Sports: 1725 ESPN: Unranked | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
editCarson played in all but one game his freshman year, and tallied up 25 tackles, a forced fumble, and one interception.[2] He got his first interception of his career against Virginia. In 2021, he played every game up until a 58-55 loss to North Carolina, where he went down with an injury, and missed the rest of the season.[3] He ended 2021 with 31 tackles, 2 interceptions, and a fumble recovery.[4] 2022 was also hammered by injuries for Carson, as he injured his leg against Liberty on September 9, and didn't see the field until the Demon Deacons faced Louisville.[5] He finished 2022 with 21 tackles, and no interceptions.[6] He played in 11 out of 12 games in his redshirt junior year, and ended up with 42 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.[7] After the season, he accepted an invite to the 2024 Senior Bowl.[8] He also was invited for the NFL Combine.[9]
College statistics
edit| Season | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Asst. | Tot. | Sacks | FF | FR | Int. | Yds. | Avg. | TD | ||
| 2020 | 8 | 19 | 6 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 9 | 26 | 5 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 15.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 8 | 17 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 11 | 29 | 13 | 42 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 36 | 91 | 28 | 119 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+7⁄8 in (1.83 m) |
199 lb (90 kg) |
31+3⁄8 in (0.80 m) |
8+1⁄4 in (0.21 m) |
4.53 s | 1.54 s | 2.59 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
6 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[10][11] | ||||||||||||
Carson was selected with the 39th pick in the 5th round (174th overall) in the 2024 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Caelen Carson - Football". Wake Forest University Athletics. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Caelen Carson 2020 Stats per Game - NCAAF". ESPN. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Haas, Hunter (June 29, 2023). "2024 NFL Draft: Caelen Carson Is Name To Watch At Cornerback". NFL Mocks. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "Caelen Carson 2021 Stats per Game - NCAAF". ESPN. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Thamel, Pete (September 24, 2022). "Wake Forest CB Carson considered week-to-week". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "Caelen Carson 2022 Stats per Game - NCAAF". ESPN. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "Caelen Carson 2023 Stats per Game - NCAAF". ESPN. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "NFL.com's prospects who could rise at Senior Bowl". Giants.com. January 30, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Dell, John (February 21, 2024). "Wake Forest notebook: Defensive backs Carson, Mustapha invited to NFL Combine". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ "Caelen Carson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Caelen Carson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ Halprin, David (April 27, 2024). "NFL Draft results 2024: Dallas Cowboys select CB Caelen Carson with the 174th pick". Blogging The Boys. Retrieved June 30, 2024.