Darren Carrington II, WR, Utah: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 14: Cornerback Ajene Harris #27 of the USC Trojans breaks up a pass intended for wide receiver Darren Carrington II #9 of the Utah Utes in the end zone in the first half of the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 14, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Player Summary

Darren Carrington II, a 2013 four-star recruit, started 23 of 45 career games. He spent his first four seasons at Oregon, before being dismissed from the program after driving into a pole at a McDonald’s drive-thru while intoxicated. He was also suspended for the 2015 College Football Playoff championship game and first six games of the following season for failing an NCAA-administered drug test. Carrington would transfer to Utah for his final season of eligibility where he primarily lined up as the split end in the Utes offense.

Carrington had the best statistical season of his career in 2017 at Utah, catching a career-high 70 passes for 980 yards and six touchdowns. For the second time in his career (2015) he would be named second-team all-Pac 12. In his college career, Carrington caught 182 passes for 2,899 yards and 21 touchdowns. He played for two head coaches and three offensive coordinators during his college career.

Carrington was named to the Senior Bowl roster, but was a late scratch because of an ankle injury. He earned an invitation to the Scouting Combine, however was unable to participate in speed and agility workouts. He possesses very good length on a thin frame with good athletic ability.

Age: 23 (October 11, 1994)

Utah Utes Football /

Utah Utes Football

Measurables

Height: 6’2″ 1/4

Weight: 199 lbs.

Arm: 32-3/4″

Hand: 10-3/8″

Combine Workout

Vertical Jump: 36 inches

Broad Jump: 10’0″

Games Watched

2017: Arizona, BYU, Stanford, West Virginia

2016: Virginia, Washington

Strengths

When given a free release, Darren Carrington II does a good job of varying his speed as he accelerates through the stem of his route. He displays good athletic ability with solid change of direction skills to create separation at the top of the route.

That separation quickness can be seen in the play below from the 2016 season against Washington. He’s matched up at the top of the screen against Kevin King, the 33^rd overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. King plays about five yards off and opens his hips before the ball is even snapped. Carrington quickly eats up the cushion before slamming on the brakes at the top of his route. This move creates enough space for his quarterback to complete a pass outside the numbers from the opposite hash for a first down.

Carrington displays solid instincts as he looks for the ball quickly on blitzes and finds the hole in the defense against zone coverage. As seen in the following play against Virginia, Carrington possesses the straight-line speed to beat cornerbacks downfield when not jammed. Here the corner lines up in press coverage, but does not attempt to throw off the timing of the route. A simple shoulder fake by Carrington is all it takes for him to get to the outside and outrun the defender to the ball for a 32-yard gain.

Carrington tracks the ball well in the air and demonstrates solid leaping skills to win jump balls. He possesses a large catch radius and displays very good body control to adjust around his frame to haul in passes away from his body. On this play, Carrington highpoints the ball and displays strong hands to secure the catch. At the Scouting Combine, Carrington’s hands measured 10 3/8 inches, largest among the wide receivers.

After the catch, Carrington utilizes very good speed to separate from defenders in the open field.

Weaknesses

More from NFL Mocks

Darren Carrington II displays marginal explosiveness off the snap as he looks to setup the defender before running the route stem. Marginal play strength hampers his ability to beat press coverage as he struggles to get off the line once jammed. He struggles to fight through the contact and has the timing of his route thrown off.

Carrington displays adequate courage over the middle of the field and will stop his route prematurely if a defender is in the area. When his quarterback begins to scramble, he does not adjust his route as a result of adequate mental processing skills.

He demonstrates marginal toughness as he struggles to hold onto the football through contact. In the next example, Carrington finds the seam in the zone, but the cornerback has enough time to close when the ball is in the air. The ball is caught in the air, but begins to come loose once contact is made. Before he can secure the ball a second time, the safety comes over the top and separates the ball from Carrington.

After the catch, Carrington possesses adequate elusiveness as he works through traffic and struggles to break tackles, preventing him from maximizing yards after the catch. Poor ball security is going to be a problem for him in the NFL as he relies on his hands to hold the ball rather than securing it against his body. In this play against Stanford, he makes an impressive catch, but takes off holding the ball in front of his body with two hands. The defender easily strips the ball away.

Carrington is an adequate blocker who is very inconsistent with his effort. On some plays he displays solid technique to get under a defender’s pads and drive him away from the play. However, on plays such as the one here, he demonstrates poor competitive toughness as he shows little interest in blocking on a run to his side of the field.

Overall

Overall, Darren Carrington II is a backup receiver at the next level who wins with length and tracking skills. He’s not someone who possesses the strength to consistently beat press coverage. As a result, he’s best suited to play a flanker role in the NFL where he can lineup off the ball to make it more difficult for a defender to jam him at the line of scrimmage.

Next: Dylan Cantrell, WR, Texas Tech: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Carrington will end up being a late-round flier in the 2018 NFL Draft, but one who has a solid chance of making an NFL roster if he can stay out of trouble. It won’t happen overnight, but if his future team is patient, Carrington can develop into a solid third or fourth option in the passing game.

Home/Scouting Reports