Carlos Basham Jr. 2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Name: Carlos Basham Jr.

College: Wake Forest

Height: 6032

Weight: 274

Overall Rank: No. 52 overall

Position Rank: EDGE10

Strengths: Carlos Basham Jr. is a powerful defensive player with a violence-like approach. He has a quick burst off the snap and has excellent timing. His hands remain active, and he utilizes his length and size very well. He doesn’t give up at first contact and continues to fight to drive through blockers. He’s aggressive as a run defender and will relentlessly chase down the ball carrier. He plays hard until the whistle which coaches at the next level will enjoy. Basham Jr. has also displayed great instinct pre-snap; he does an excellent job recognizing plays and adjusting with his speed in either direction quickly.

Weaknesses: Basham Jr. was often the superior, stronger, and more athletic player in college. He relied a lot on overpowering blockers and in the NFL, he has to work on crafting his techniques to win matchups more consistently. Basham Jr. has shown multiple moves to get off blockers at the collegiate level, but didn’t utilize them as much as he will need to at the NFL level. Often times, he’s been beat one-on-one against a dominant larger offensive tackle, and in the NFL, that trend will continue. If Basham Jr. can continue to work on some of his techniques off the line, he could advance to more than just a situational pass rusher.

What I Love: The instincts and intensity is what stands out to me, when watching Carlos Basham Jr. He has all the raw tools and athletic ability to become a force of a pass rusher at the NFL level. At Wake Forest, he wasn’t always put in the right defensive packages for him to show his natural talents and ability. In the NFL, he could be a dominant force lining up against tackles and he has several raw tools that can continue to develop as he enters the NFL.

NFL Comparison: Michael Bennett

Grade: 82/100

Position Specific Traits:
(key: +, ++, +++ positive scale | -, - -, - - - negative scale)

Athletic Ability: ++

Pass Rush Power: +

Pass Rush Speed: ++

Run Support: +

Speed/Burst: ++

Strength: +