Saints Sophomore Spotlight: Carl Granderson
Legal issues caused talented University of Wyoming defensive end Carl Granderson to go undrafted in the 2019 NFL draft. Granderson had 35.5 career tackles for loss in college and 11.5 sacks over his final two seasons. He was projected to be as high as a Day 2 draft pick by some, but his legal uncertainties allowed the Saints to sign him as an undrafted rookie. New Orleans was granted a roster exemption by the league for Granderson while he served a reduced 43 day sentence, but he would miss all of preseason and training camp along with the first part of the year.
Dec 29, 2019; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) runs after a reception in the third quarter. New Orleans Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) and defensive end Carl Granderson (96) defend on the play at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The Saints would activate Granderson for their Week 4 game against Dallas, where he would see limited action. The 23-Yr old defensive end would notch his first career sack the following week in a win over Tampa Bay. Granderson saw action in 8 games for the Saints in 2019, playing in 11% of the defensive snaps (115) along with contributing on special teams. He had 11 tackles including 2 for loss, 1 sack, and 3 quarterback pressures.
Granderson has excellent length and good bend around the edge as a pass rusher and is a handful for opposing tackles. At 6’5 261-Lbs he sets a strong base against the run, has a nice burst to the ball carrier, and shows good natural instincts in space. The Saints have two outstanding edge players in Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport but have lacked a consistent pass rusher behind them. Remember that Granderson was highly regarded as a player coming out of college. With a full offseason in the New Orleans defense after a year of experience, Carl Granderson might well turn out to be the extra pass rush presence along the edge that the Saints have lacked in big moments over the last few seasons.
