Jackson

Carman

Finally the healthiest they’ve been this season, the Bengals are looking to get their season on track against a 49ers’ team coming off two losses. With Joe Burrow’s and Tee Higgins’ injuries behind them, they’ll look to get back to being an elite offense.

He beat out second-year OG Jackson Carman, who was a second-round pick in 2021. Volson was a three-year starter at right tackle at North Dakota State but is a powerful run blocker who transitions nicely inside to guard. The Bengals’ upgraded offensive line reads: LT Jonah Williams, LG Volson, C Ted Karras, RG Alex Cappa, and RT La’el Collins.

Taylor also noted that he is “confident” in Jackson Carman if the second-round rookie is called to action. Su’a-Filo was one of the additions that the Bengals made this offseason to strengthen their subpar offensive line. So far, Joe Burrow has taken nine sacks through two games, far from the turnaround Cincinnati fans were hoping for. The Bengals face the Steelers in Week 3, a dreaded matchup for a team possibly giving a rookie his first career start. Expect Burrow to be under duress for a full four quarters this week.

Carman (6’5/317) spent the past two seasons as the blindside protector of Trevor Lawrence. During Clemson’s most recent playoff run in 2020, Carman was named a second-team All-American. Carman’s issue is with speed and movement, and it’s the reason we believe his best NFL fit is at guard. On the interior, Carman’s strengths will play up, while his weaknesses will be mitigated or outright masked. Carman has dropped 30 pounds, ostensibly to help his mobility and allow him to play multiple positions. The Bengals are expected to start Carman at guard this year but his versatility could come in handy down the road. Pro Football Focus ranked Cincinnati as the 30th offensive line last year. The addition of Carman should help them inch toward the middle of the pack.

Carman (6’5/317) spent the past two seasons as the blindside protector of Trevor Lawrence. During Clemson’s most recent playoff run in 2020, Carman was named a second-team All-American. Carman sets up shop quickly with a wide base, presenting an obstruction as big as the stuck Suez Canal boat for edge rushers to have to motor around. Carman brings enormous power in the run game and plays low, dislodging at least a fraction of the opponent’s cleats from the dirt on impact. In 2020, RB Travis Etienne averaged 6.7 YPC on 84 carries running to Carman’s side; on 82 attempts to the right side, Etienne averaged 4.4 YPC. On the perimeter, Carman’s issue is with speed and movement, and it’s the reason we believe his best NFL fit is at guard. On the interior, Carman’s strengths will play up, while his weaknesses will be mitigated or outright masked. But Carman has dropped 30 pounds, ostensibly to help his mobility in the hopes he’s allowed to remain outside in the pros. If he’s indeed headed inside, he profiles as a rangy, powerful interior presence ala Brandon Brooks.

“They have a good history of putting players in the NFL and [FSU OL coach] Trickett has been around a long time, so he knows what he is doing,” Carman said. In addition to a planned trip to Florida State, the 6-foot-6, 305-pounder is tentatively shooting for offseason visits to Clemson, Notre Dame and USC. He will be heading to Ohio State for a visit this coming weekend. Even in the early going, Carman’s recruitment is one to watch. The Fairfield, Ohio, native ranks as Rivals’ No. 2 overall prospect for the 2018 cycle.

Carman previously considered Ohio State as his top school. The Buckeyes are still very much in the running for the Fairfield, Ohio native’s services, however. “Just experiencing [Clemson’s] whole environment, facilities, meeting with the coaches and players, it was better than any other place I’ve visited so far,” he said. “I would probably say it’s 1a and 1b with Clemson and Ohio State. Seeing everything was eye-opening and awesome.” Carman, the No. 4-ranked 2018 prospect, is also high on Florida State, USC, Wisconsin and LSU.

So, here’s an interesting one for your Wednesday. The impetus for all of this came about when Carman -- Ohio State’s top target in the 2018 class -- tweeted that the Buckeyes needed to bench J.T. Barrett in favor of redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins. Herbstreit subsequently caught wind of this, tweeting out, “Can someone get a memo to ALL RECRUITS of EVERY SCHOOL to please keep quiet and worry about their own teams. Not a good look for these guys.” Carman then retweeted Herbstreit, writing, “Pretty sure I wouldn’t have any problems in Dabo Swinney’s or Clay Helton’s locker room for my OPINION on OSU’s qb issues.” This whole kerfuffle makes for fun mid-week copy, but we’re guessing that none of it will have any impact on Carman’s actual Signing Day decision. Though you never know.

On separate occasions, Carman has named both Clemson and Ohio State as his two favorites, but all five of the programs in question are more than capable of making a big, winning pitch. Carman, who already had five-star status over at Rivals entering the week, just received an upgrade from four- to five-star glory on Scout.com in their updated rankings. The latter outlet ranks him as the No. 18 overall prospect in the 2018 class.

Carman choosing the Tigers is a bit of an upset, as most considered the 6-foot-6, 300-pound tackle to be headed to Ohio State. It’s a huge get for Clemson, as he’s rated the top tackle in the class by 247 Sports, and ranks 12th on ESPN’s list of the top prospects for 2018. Scouting reports suggest he’s a projectable athlete with the ability to help both as a devastating run-blocker and competent in pass protection. He’ll need to get stronger, however, so he may not be a candidate to play early.