Carter
Coughlin.
Carter
Coughlin.
Minnesota· 6'3"· 236 lb· 4.57s 40
"The Giants spent the 218th pick on a polished but undersized Minnesota edge rusher with rare testing numbers, and got four years of core special teams work but never a defensive role."Pre-draft read
Coughlin was a stand-up outside linebacker and edge rusher in Minnesota's front, a 6-3, 236-pound former blue-chip recruit who rushed from a two-point stance on passing downs. His primary trait was pass-rush technique: he worked a refined hand-fighting plan, used an effective long arm and rip, and timed the snap well enough to turn the corner despite a lean frame.
His secondary trait was movement skill, backed by a 4.57 40, a 36-inch vertical and a 10-6 broad jump. Against the run he played with effort but lacked the mass to hold the edge against tackles. His ceiling was an undersized hybrid defender, and his signature was the forced fumble: seven strip plays across four seasons.
Multiple 3-4 front that uses a stand-up SAM or rush linebacker on passing downs and asks him to cover kicks.
Year 1: core special teams player and situational rusher. Ceiling: rotational SAM linebacker in a hybrid front.
Even front that needs a 260-pound defensive end to hold the edge against tackles on every early down.
His best NFL value came on coverage units rather than on defense.
Carter Coughlin: 2019 Minnesota Gophers Top Plays
Top plays from his senior season at Minnesota.
Jersey Swap: Carter Coughlin on the New York Giants
Minnesota feature on his move to the Giants.
Coughlin projected as a tweener, too light to rush every down from the edge in the NFL and not yet proven as an off-ball linebacker in coverage. Evaluators respected his polish, motor and intelligence, and viewed special teams as his most likely path onto a roster.
He started for three seasons at Minnesota after a freshman year with two sacks. He led the Gophers with 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 2017, then posted 15 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 2018 to earn second-team All-Big Ten. His sack total dipped to 4.5 in 2019 on an 11-2 team, though he again made second-team All-Big Ten. The flags were his weight, short arms and a transition to a new position.
Most boards placed him in the late rounds as a developmental linebacker and special teams player. The Giants took him at No. 218, betting that his athletic testing and effort would make him a core special teams player while he learned to play off the ball.
- 01
Pass-rush polish
Rushed with a clear plan, using a long arm, rip and quick hands that let him win the edge despite a lighter frame.
- 02
Ball disruption
Forced seven fumbles at Minnesota, including four in 2018, by attacking the ball when he closed on the quarterback.
- 03
Explosive testing
Ran a 4.57 40 with a 36-inch vertical and 10-6 broad jump at the combine, rare movement numbers for a college edge rusher.
- 04
Consistent production
Posted at least 6.5 sacks in 2017 and 2018 and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in both 2018 and 2019.
- 05
Special teams traits
His speed, effort and tackling made him a natural fit for kickoff and punt coverage units from his first NFL season.
- 01
Undersized edge
At 236 pounds he lacked the mass to set a firm edge against NFL tackles and was washed out on down blocks.
- 02
Short arms
Arm length under 32 inches made it hard to keep blockers off his frame when his first move failed to win the rep.
- 03
Position transition
Projected to off-ball linebacker, a role that required coverage and run-fit skills he had rarely shown at Minnesota.
- 04
Declining senior output
His sacks fell from 9.5 in 2018 to 4.5 in 2019, which raised questions about how well his rush translated.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.57sp50
- Vertical
- 36inp50
- Broad jump
- 126inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Minnesota | 11 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Minnesota | — | 37 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | Minnesota | — | 48 | 9.5 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2019 | Minnesota | — | 49 | 4.5 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Career | — | 11 | 158 | 22.5 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
Tackles, sacks, PD, INT and FF from ESPN; TFL from Minnesota/Wikipedia season summaries. Wikipedia lists 25 tackles in 2016 (ESPN 24). Games after 2016 and fumble recoveries not verified.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a special teams core player and reserve linebacker for four seasons.
Undersized, technically refined edge who found a long career as a hybrid linebacker.
Light edge rusher whose production did not translate beyond depth and practice squad work.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Coughlin made the Giants as a rookie in 2020 and played 14 games, mostly on special teams, recording 17 tackles and a sack of Tom Brady on Monday Night Football. An injury sent him to injured reserve during a seven-game 2021 season. He then played all 17 games in both 2022 and 2023 as a reserve linebacker and special teams player, re-signed in March 2024 and was cut to the practice squad that September.
In hindsight Coughlin was a reasonable return for pick No. 218, even if he never became a defensive contributor. His lean frame limited him as an edge rusher and he never won a starting job off the ball, but his speed and effort gave the Giants four seasons of special teams play. Through 2023 he appeared in 55 games with 41 tackles and one sack, a typical backup outcome for a seventh-round linebacker. His career shows how athletic testing and effort can buy a late pick several seasons even without a clear defensive position.