Clemson football: Jackson Carman plans to play offensive tackle- not guard- in NFL

Clemson football fans will be watching the 2021 NFL Draft with the hopes of seeing some of their favorite Tigers move on to great situations at the next level.

The Clemson football program is expected to have five players selected in this year’s draft, which will be headlined by QB Trevor Lawrence who is expected to go No. 1 overall.

After Lawrence, we should expect to see RB Travis Etienne, WR Amari Rodgers, OL Jackson Carman and WR Cornell Powell come off the board, likely in that order.

Despite what many have said about Jackson Carman at the next level, it look as if he’ll be drafted as an offensive tackle. 

Last on Twitter, Carman got into an exchange with NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller. Both were complimentary of each other, but the conversation was started off when Miller recognized Carman as an ‘IOL to watch.’

Carman shared that he had talked to all 32 NFL teams and that they had recognized him as an offensive tackle, not a candidate to move inside.

If the former Clemson football OL is going to stay outside, he’s going to have to watch his weight more than anything

There’s no doubt that Carman can play the offensive tackle spot at the next level. He’s got an 81.4 wingspan and shows great quickness with his feet.

That being said, the major thing that Carman has had to battle throughout his time at Clemson– and it will continue at the next level, as well- is his weight.

He weighed in at 322 pounds during his Pro Day last week and is measured at 6-foot-5. That’s right around the perfect measurables for a right tackle and potentially even a left tackle depending on his foot speed, but the danger can be what happens if he begins to gain much more weight.

There are NFL offensive tackles who play in the 330-pound range, but the examples are few and far in-between. Typically if you’re up in the range, you’re going to move inside.

From Carman’s tweet and from what we’ve heard in the past, it’s clear that he wants to play outside at the next level. He has taken pride in manning that left tackle position during his time with Clemson football and there’s no doubt he wants to continue to compete at that position in the NFL.