San Francisco 49ers: Who is defensive end Tank Carradine?
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise rolls on with our “Who Is?” look at San Francisco 49ers players in 2017. In this installment, we look at defensive end Tank Carradine and see if the underachieving defender can turn the page this season.
I don’t know how many articles I’ve written on San Francisco 49ers defensive end Tank Carradine.
Quite a few, to be honest. And each one points to the hope he’ll finally live up to his 2013 NFL Draft hype.
That hype, of course, stemmed from a prolific collegiate career at Florida State — one which resulted in 16.5 sacks over two seasons.
Sure, he was dealing with an ACL injury when drafted by the Niners in the second round back in 2013. But that was a steal, right?
Not if his pro stats have anything to say about it:
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/19/2017.
Carradine has been one of the bigger underachievers the 49ers have selected in recent years. Never quite a fit in San Francisco’s 3-4 base scheme, the 6-foot-4, 276-pound linemen still managed to get a contract extension prior to the 2016 season.
It’s all but guaranteed Carradine is on the hot seat this year. With a new coaching staff in place, what hopes does Carradine have to finally turn his pro career around?
San Francisco 49ers
Why He’ll Improve
Coming out of college, Carradine was seen as a fit for a 4-3 defensive end position rather than a 3-4 outside linebacker.
More of an EDGE, Carradine has never been good stopping the run. Rushing the quarterback was his college forte, but the good news is San Francisco needs these kinds of players.
The Niners are switching to a 4-3 under this season as well, which should allow Carradine the opportunity to return to the kind of role in which he thrived at Florida State. All the positional changes and moves in a 3-4 base are no longer valid.
What matters is Carradine’s fit in this new-look defense under coordinator Robert Saleh.
Whatever snaps Carradine likely sees will be from the right DE — or LEO — position. Having second-year defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to his immediate left should help open up holes for Carradine to get within the pocket.
And as long as his pass-rushing moves haven’t suffered any sort of regression, Carradine may wind up having a bit of an impact.
Why He’ll Regress
Very little from Carradine’s NFL efforts suggests he’ll suddenly transition into a bona fide pass-rushing force.
First, Carradine is 28 years old. The time to see whether or not he’ll pan out at the pro level has already passed. And aside from a brief stint back in 2014 — where he registered three sacks over a three-game period — there hasn’t been any sign of consistency whatsoever.
Complicating the matter is the fact Carradine is already buried on the depth chart. The presumed No. 1 LEO on defense this season is Arik Armstead. Behind him is fellow EDGE Aaron Lynch.
Both have already proven, especially Armstead, their value in an everyday basis. Carradine has never assumed a starter’s role for any elongated period.
And if we merely predict future impact based off previous results, there isn’t much to be excited about here.
What to Expect in 2017
Armstead makes the roster this season without question. Lynch may be another story, although I still see him as a strong bubble.
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Pass-rushers are a needed commodity, which increases Carradine’s chances of sticking around. But the Niners won’t hesitate to jettison him prior to the regular season if his contributions aren’t well above par.
At best, Carradine sticks around through 2017 as a situational pass-rusher and rotational member of San Francisco’s defense. That would be the role envisioned for him this upcoming season.
Although it’s just as possible we see Carradine’s struggles continue, resulting in him being released.
Next: 5 potential breakout players for the 49ers in 2017
And this would be simply another knock against Baalke’s draft efforts.