Ozzie Newsome routinely says that a defense can never have too many talented pass rushers.
That's exactly what Cornellius "Tank" Carradine is.
The Florida State defensive end is climbing up draft boards, and has been linked to the Ravens as an option at pick No. 32.
Carradine is projected as a late first-round, early second-round prospect, but he's not bashful about saying teams shouldn't pass up an opportunity to take him.
"They're definitely going to regret it,'' Carradine told Don Banks of Sports Illustrated.
Carradine was having a breakout season in 2012 before a torn ACL ended his year and has sidelined him for much of the pre-draft process. The injury occurred in November, so he's not completely back to full* *strength yet.
But Carradine has emphasized to teams for the last few months that he's well ahead of schedule, and that he's going to be full-go by the time NFL training camps open in August.
He's sent video to teams of him running the 40-yard dash and going through lateral movement drills. Carradine is also holding a private workout for teams on April 20 where he plans on running the 40 and going through position drills.
"They're going to be able to see, 'OK, wherever we draft Carradine at, he's going to be 100 percent by August. He's going to be ready, ready to play,'" Carradine said. "I'm ahead of schedule."
Before the injury, Carradine had gone from an under-the-radar junior college transfer to a first-round prospect. In his first full season as a starter, he racked up 11 sacks and 80 tackles as a speed rusher off the edge.
"A guy that's got a motor," Carradine said at the combine when asked to describe himself. "A guy that is physical against the run, disruptive against the pass, and a guy that can shoot through gaps, and a guy that's just all over the field, and a guy that you'll want on your team that will come in and make impact plays on your defense."
Carradine, 6-foot-4, 276 pounds, most likely projects to be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. That's an area where the Ravens are crowded right now after signing Elvis Dumervil to go along with Terrell Suggs and Courtney Upshaw.
But Carradine reportedly met with the Ravens at the combine and on a visit to Baltimore, and his ability as a pass rusher could be appealing to Newsome.
"Hopefully I can get on the field for someone and I can dominate," Carradine said. "When I get drafted, I have to prove to that team that I'm going to be the guy who can be all he can be, and not one of those guys who's never the same again after the injury."
