Purdue Football: Drake Carlson Makes It Official

Purdue signed 3* 6’4”, 260 pound defensive lineman Drake Carlson from Father Ryan High School out of Nashville, TN this morning.

Carlson chose the Purdue Boilermakers over offers from the Vanderbilt Commodores, Colorado Buffaloes, Duke Blue Devils, Illinois Fighting Illini, Mississippit State Bulldogs, Tennessee Vols, and the West Virginia Mountaneers. Carlson, according to 247, is the 686th rated player nationally, 77th rated defensive lineman, and 21st ranked player out of Tennessee.

Highlights:

Carlson will likely slide inside at the college level where he can use his athleticism at 6’4 although in Walters odd man front, he likely will play as a defensive tackle. Carlson shows good technique in reading the read option by staying in good position to make a play on both the quarterback and running back. He also shows good explosion off the line of scrimmage and low pad height to gain advantage quickly after the snap. He shows different moves but will need to refine those moves to continue to be successful against college offensive lineman and will need to add considerable bulk (20-30 pounds) to play effectively.

Current Boilermaker Comp:

J.P. Deeter

Carlson looks almost like a carbon copy of current Purdue defensive lineman JP Deeter and that is a good thing for a program that is under a new coaching staff. Like Deeter, Carlson is a bit undersized to paly the interior out of high school but with a redshirt year and continued progress in the weight room, he can maintain that athleticism to gain advantages against larger players using his quick burst and low pad level.