Hard Work Has Paid Off For Carlson

Stephen Carlson is scheduled to arrive for the Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp later this week where he’ll participate in practice/drills Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It’s the first of several opportunities the Jamestown native will have between now and the end of training camp in late August to impress the organization as he seeks to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

It’s a daunting challenge to be sure. But Carlson, who was signed as an undrafted free agent Sunday, is accustomed to challenges.

Despite winning almost every award possible his senior year following Jamestown High School’s run to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA football championship, Carlson didn’t take the Princeton football program by storm upon his arrival for fall practice in the summer of 2015.

In fact, in his first two seasons with the Tigers, he caught three passes totaling 14 yards.

No, that’s not a typo.

Still, Carlson never quit trying to get better.

Not for one day.

“I think it’s partly a mindset,” he said Saturday night. “Partly a mindset and giving effort. I made a pretty good jump going into my junior season. I knew my junior summer I could make a big impact.”

How big?

Well, in 10 games in 2017, he caught 71 passes for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns. When combined with his stats for the 2018 season — 51 receptions for 683 yards and five TDs — he ended up ranked third all-time in school history for TD catches (16), eighth in receiving yards (1,632) and 10th in receptions (125).

JHS football coach Tom Langworthy wasn’t surprised how the trajectory of Carlson’s career took off in his final two years at the Ivy League school. In fact, he’d witnessed something similar in the summer of 2012.

“He played on the freshman team his freshman year,” Langworthy said. “He wasn’t even called up to the jayvees. He just played ninth-grade football.”

But when Carlson’s buddies and classmates, Zack Panebianco and Ben Larson, showed up for practice that summer, the former showed up, too.

“All of a sudden, and just because he was there, he started catching all these footballs,” Langworthy said. “(Assistant varsity coaches) Ryan Calkins and Richie Joly come into the weight room after a workout, and said, ‘Man, Carlson catches the ball really well, he’s big and we know he’s a good kid.’ I said, ‘Let’s try it.'”

Let’s just say that was a decision the Red Raiders’ coaching staff never regretted.

“It’s an awesome lesson that young people could learn, that if they just keep showing up with a good attitude, they’ll probably have a good experience,” Langworthy said.

And, in the case of Carlson, he now has an opportunity to take that never-quit mindset to the National Football League, beginning this week.

For perspective, only one other JHS graduate — the late Jim McCusker — has ever played in the NFL, and he retired in 1965.

“To think this is the second, that’s pretty special,” Langworthy said.

Carlson’s mindset is pretty special, too.