NFL Combine 2017: Myles Garrett, Joe Mixon and 4 other winners
By Matt Conner
Carl Lawson, DL, Auburn
Carl Lawson is an interesting player in this draft, an Auburn product who dominated opposing offensive linemen last season to the tune of 9.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. However, Lawson has a spotty injury history at Auburn and teams are likely going to want to see him adapt more as a pass rusher to the scenario in front of him — to twist more, to adapt his pursuit, et al. Questions about whether or not he could make those sorts of adjustments should have disappeared to some degree after his performance at the NFL Combine.
Not only did Lawson best every defensive lineman with a 4.19 second 20-yard shuttle time but he also beat everyone, including Myles Garrett with 35 reps in the bench press (and tied Isaac Asiata of Utah for most overall reps among all position groups). Coming into this season, Pro Football Focus mentioned that Lawson wasn’t quite ready to be an elite pass rusher, but after his junior season, the stat board showed otherwise. Like Dee Ford, there’s still work and development to do at the pro level after leaving Auburn, but Lawson helped alleviate many such concerns.
In short, Lawson is strong and quick and those are natural tools a defensive coach can work with.