Let’s rewind a little bit and head back to the 2017 NFL Draft. The Dallas Cowboys were on the clock with the 28th selection in the first-round and decided to hand in their draft card with Defensive End Taco Charlton’s name written on it. This caused a lot of Cowboys Nation to go into a frenzy because the majority of them wanted T.J. Watt.
I’ll admit I was guilty of being completely shocked the Cowboys decided to draft Charlton over Watt, but I had faith Will McClay and the scouting department knew what they were doing. I liked Charlton enough to give them the benefit of the doubt, despite liking Watt a little bit better.
Leading into the 2017 NFL Draft, T.J. Watt was a player who might have seen his draft stock rise the most. Not only did he possess a really good NFL bloodline (J.J. Watt), but his measurable’s and performance at the scouting combine were among the best amongst the pass rushers.
It wasn’t that big of a secret the Dallas Cowboys were targeting a defensive end with their first-round selection. Unfortunately, selecting at the backend in the first isn’t the best place to find a pass rusher. But, there were going to be a few options available, most notably Taco Charlton and T.J. Watt.
We all know who the Dallas Cowboys selected, but unfortunately fans continued to whine and moan about not selecting Watt, especially after getting off to a hot start with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not only did he make an immediate impact, but it made the Cowboys decision to take Charlton look like the wrong one.
Well, after witnessing the way Taco Charlton has played in the preseason and after doing some research, I’m pleased to announce the Dallas Cowboys absolutely got it right by drafting the former Michigan standout defensive end.
If you just look at Taco Charlton and T.J. Watt’s first-year statistics, then Watt without a doubt had a better rookie season. Watt ended the year with 54 tackles, 7 quarterback sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception. Charlton on the other hand only managed 19 tackles, 3 QB sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Based on this information alone, Watt clearly had the better rookie season. But, did he actually?
After doing a little research, I don’t think Taco Charlton had as bad of a rookie season as we might have thought, especially compared to T.J. Watt. Watt was just given more opportunities to prove himself.
You see, Taco Charlton didn’t play as many defensive snaps last season as T.J. Watt. With the Cowboys, Charlton only played 399 defensive snaps (38.18%) compared to Watt’s 751 snaps (76.55%). It’s no wonder Watt was more productive his rookie season. He nearly doubled Charlton’s playing time. With that information, if you were to double Charlton’s rookie production, he would be just about on par with Watt.
I wanted to point all of this out because I believe Taco Charlton is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential. I think he will only continue to get better, whereas T.J. Watt has likely reached his peak, at least in my opinion.
Hopefully, this will put the debate about whether or not the Dallas Cowboys should have drafted T.J. Watt over Taco Charlton to rest, at least for now. We won’t know which player will end up being the better of the two until their careers finally come to an end. But, when all is said and done, I believe Charlton will be the victor.
