News: Taco Charlton sees Cowboys as his best fit to reach potential

Todd ArcherESPN Staff Writer

FRISCO, Texas -- Though some will believe the Dallas Cowboys reached a little bit when they took Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton with the 28th overall pick Thursday, Charlton believes he went too late.

"I felt like I was a top-10, top-15 player, but I feel like I'm happy to be here in Dallas with the team and a coach that believes in me. Dallas is right there as to getting to that championship and Super Bowl," Charlton said. "They had a great regular season, and I believe I can help them get [back] to the playoffs and do some great things."

The knocks on Charlton dealt with his speed (he ran a 4.8 40 at his pro day) and that he started for only one year at Michigan. The Cowboys believe Charlton's arm length mitigates the speed issue and that he is athletic enough to play almost anywhere on their defensive line.

As for having to wait to start at Michigan?

"We had a lot of veteran guys, a lot of seniors in front of me," Charlton said. "One of those guys was Frank Clark in Seattle for a while for two years. So I had to sit behind him, and he was a great player and did great things with Seattle this year with 10 or 11 sacks. So that was really out of my control. I just made sure when I got in, I just tried to do a lot of good things, and that's why I got 10 sacks this past year."

Charlton's sack total increased in each of his four seasons from zero to 3.5, 5.5 and 10.

What clicked?

"I think just getting the chance to get on the field more," Charlton said. "You can watch my junior year, my last four games. I do a lot of good things because I played more. This year I got a chance to get on the field more. Just all the hard work I put in every offseason. From my freshman year until now it's been so much consistent growth just because all of the hard work I put in on the practice field, the weight room and in the film room, and it just shows on game day."

Charlton mentioned Julius Peppers and DeMarcus Ware as two pass-rushers he has studied over the years.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli coached both -- Peppers with the Chicago Bears and Ware with the Cowboys.

On is pre-draft visit, Charlton said he hit it off immediately with Marinelli and assistant defensive line coach Leon Lett.

"They showed a lot of interest and said they liked me a lot; liked my tape; liked what they had seen. Especially meeting with Coach Marinelli and 'Big Cat' (Lett), so it felt with those two that when they got their hands on me, the sky's the limit."

SOURCE: espn.com