New York Jets Film Room: 2021 draft target Carlos Basham Jr.

The Jets could target Carlos Basham Jr. in either the second or third round to help boost the pass rush ahead of the 2021 season.

Carlos Basham Jr. Info

• DE, Wake Forest
• 6-foot-5, 284 pounds
• First-team All-ACC in 2019
• Third-team All-ACC in 2020
• 2019 Stats (13 games): 57 total tackles (26 solo), 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, three forced fumbles, three pass breakups
• 2020 Stats (six games): 28 total tackles (20 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, four forced fumbles, one pass breakup

How Carlos Basham Jr. would Benefit the Jets

Carlos Basham Jr. may not start immediately, but he’d at least initially be a situational pass rusher if he were to come to Florham Park. He implements great speed, strength, and athleticism into his game and would be able to greatly complement free-agent pickup Carl Lawson.

But regardless of his role, Basham would simply add talent to a pass rush that desperately needs it. The Jets tied for 20th last year with just 31 total sacks.

Basham’s size is key. He’s a pure defensive end instead of an outside linebacker, so he’d certainly fit into Robert Saleh’s 4-3 defensive scheme.

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Carlos Basham Jr. Film Room Notes

Basham and Wake Forest’s November 2019 win over Duke (four total tackles, three solo, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble)

Not a great look right off the bat for Basham, who has a tough time shedding the block on this delayed handoff.

Great footwork and vision from Basham here as he doesn’t overrun the ball-carrier before utilizing his athleticism to still make the tackle.

The strength, speed, and power all come together on this play — Basham is able to shed his block immediately en route to a sack of the quarterback. All three qualities actually help him push the Duke right tackle back almost immediately.

Basham needs to do a better job shedding the block on this play. The fact he isn’t able to leads to a second-down conversion on the screen pass for Duke.

Basham implements an unbelievably swift move on his blocker to find a path to the quarterback in this clip. Unfortunately, the quarterback releases the football just in time to avoid the sack.

And finally, the athleticism, strength, and speed come together here as Basham executes a quick swim move en route to the sack and forced fumble of the Duke quarterback.

Basham and Wake Forest’s September 2020 loss to NC State (five total tackles, four solo, one tackle for loss, one sack)

Immediately, Basham reads the swing pass correctly and is right there to prevent the play from gaining any sort of yardage.

Just a powerful move from Basham here — he’s able to quickly shed the block and make his way towards the quarterback for the sack.

The athleticism is really on display here — Basham sheds the block and utilizes that great wingspan to make the tackle.

Carlos Basham Jr. portrays a ton of superb on-field qualities that should make him a versatile pass-rusher and run-stopper at the next level. When the strength, power, speed, and overall athleticism come together, he can’t be matched, and he’d certainly be a huge addition to the Jets defense.

Or, to be honest, any defense for that matter.