The NFL Scouting Combine brings together football people from all over the country, including top-flight tight ends from Litchfield, Minnesota. John Carlson, a tight end from the small Minnesota town located about 70 miles west of Minneapolis, went through general medical exams, video interviews and psychological testing on Thursday and spent a few minutes with the media after his activities concluded.
Growing up in Minnesota, Carlson was a standout football, basketball and tennis player in high school before attending the University of Notre Dame. Carlson was a three-time all-conference selection and two-time all-state honoree who caught 41 passes for 471 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior and had career numbers of 95 catches for 1,331 yards and 23 touchdowns.
The Litchfield Dragons basketball team won the Minnesota Class 2A state title three times with Carlson leading the way and the future NFL tight end also has prowess on the tennis court, finishing his high school career with a 106-22 record while playing No. 1 doubles.
Carlson’s dominance in high school led him to Notre Dame where he spent four seasons after red-shirting as a freshman. Ultimately, Carlson finds himself at the NFL Scouting Combine working out for teams and trying to improve his stock. Because of an illness, Carlson was unable to play in the Senior Bowl, making the Combine that much more important for him.
After his activities on Thursday, Carlson came into the media room at the Indianapolis Convention Center to spend a few moments with a large contingent of media members.
Can you talk about the benefit of playing under Coach Weiss since he had success as a coordinator in the NFL?
It was beneficial for me to play under Coach Weiss because of his NFL experience. But I also think it was beneficial to experience the change in coaches (from Tyrone Willingham to Weiss) to adjust to a new system. I learned a great deal from Coach Weiss and his staff. Hopefully that will pay off and I’ll be able to pick up the next offense quicker.
How much did he relate what he did in New England to what he was trying to teach the players at Notre Dame?
He used that quite a bit. He had a lot of success offensively when he was the coordinator there (New England). The first couple of years at Notre Dame when he had a veteran group, that success translated well to the college game. He’s obviously very good at what he does and I feel fortunate to have learned from him over the last few years.
Did you play more of a conventional tight end role in college or were there times when you lined up in the slot?
I’m a conventional tight end for the most part; Coach Weiss moved me around a little bit but for the most time I was down in a three-point stance.
What are some parts of your game that you need to work on?
Being more powerful at the line of scrimmage, hand placement, footwork and fundamentals like that that will improve my blocking.
Can you talk about the illness you’ve gone through in the last month and how it affected your preparation for the Combine?
It was about two weeks before the Senior Bowl and I caught what I believe was a parasite and I ended up losing 17 pounds in about eight days. It was unfortunate, but I gained most of the weight back, I gained most of the strength back, I feel healthy today. It was disappointing to not play in the Senior Bowl, especially after a season in which we didn’t get to play in a bowl game. I kind of viewed the Senior Bowl as my bowl game and I had been training since December 11. All of those factors combined made it disappointing, but ultimately I had no control over it and I’ve done everything I can do to get healthy and get back to where I need to be.
Have you sought any advice from former teammates who are now in the NFL?
Ryan Harris was my roommate last year and is a good friend of mine. I’ve spoken to him a few times and he’s given me a little bit of advice and has tried to help me as much as he could.
What have you seen or what have you heard about where you might be taken in the draft?
Honestly I don’t pay any attention to the speculation. There are so many components that go into the draft process and obviously it’s not an exact science. I’m going to do the best that I can this week because this is the task at hand. I want to be drafted as high as possible; it’s a pretty simple goal and it might sound stupid, but that’s my goal.
How will you spend your draft day?
I’m going to go home to Minnesota and my family will be there, along with my fiancé and her parents. It’s going to be pretty quiet.
No ice fishing that day?