Taco Charlton's breakout senior season has paid off.
And will show up in real dollars soon enough.
Charlton became a first-round NFL draft pick on Thursday night, being selected No. 28 by the Dallas Cowboys.
It was a major leap for the former Michigan defensive end as his 9.5-sack senior year turned him from a potential mid-round selection _ NFLDraftScout.com had him as the No. 14 end in the class a year ago _ into a first-rounder.
Charlton's long arms and extended frame were always appealing but his on-field production never matched up with 9.5 sacks spread over his first three years.
But in 2016 he was a motivated player.
Given the chance to start on an NFL-caliber defensive line, he was injured in the season opener and didn't return until the fourth week of the season. When he did, Charlton was focused.
He had 10 sacks in U-M's final 10 games, as his injured ankle continued to improve week by week. As the competition improved, so did Charlton, with 5.5 sacks in the final four games, including showing his skills against NFL level talent on Ohio State and Florida State in the final two games.
That's what intrigued many teams, seeing that there could be a higher level with Charlton as the 2016 finish was just the start of his impact.
Coming out of Pickerington, Ohio as the nation's No. 133-ranked player in the 2013 class, he has exceeded those projections.
Now, he'll get a chance to do the same in the NFL.
Michigan's last first-round pick was Taylor Lewan in 2014. It's last defensive player/defensive end in the first round: Brandon Graham in 2010.
