Carl Lawson, defensive end, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals might have landed one of the draft’s biggest steals selecting Lawson in the fourth round.
Injuries largely derailed Lawson’s career at Auburn, which began with so much promise during his freshman campaign. A torn ACL led to a lost season in 2014, and injuries kept him out of the lineup for almost half of 2015.
However, Lawson came back strong in 2016, starting 12 games for the Tigers and racking up impressive pass-rushing stats in the process. He tallied 14 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks, earning First-Team All-American and All-SEC honors in the process.
One well-known NFL analyst thinks Lawson is a sleeper pick for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2017.
WATCH: Carl Lawson a sleeper pick for NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award#Bengals pic.twitter.com/DoijPiFOjB
— The Bengals Wire (@TheBengalsWire) May 26, 2017
Cincinnati had a void in production from its defensive ends last year. Carlos Dunlap was solid, with eight sacks, but the rest of the team’s defensive ends managed less than 10 between them. This leaves the door wide open for Lawson to come in, prove himself capable and earn significant playing time as a rookie this upcoming season.