Cowboys first-round draft pick DE Taco Charlton during his introductory press conference Friday said that his agent "has already heard from companies about endorsement deals" tying into his name, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Charlton, whose given first name is Vidauntae, said, "My agent said there's a lot of interest, so I said, 'You can handle that for right now.'" Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones said that the "possibility of connecting Charlton to a restaurant" at the team's mixed-use facility The Star "did not cross his mind" during the Draft. However, Dallas-based Taco Bueno issued a release welcoming Charlton to the city (ESPN.com, 4/28). Ft. Worth-based Fuzzy's Taco Shop also has reached out to Charlton, offering him in a tweet "free tacos for life" (DALLASNEWS.com, 4/28). This comes after Chargers draft-pick Forrest Lamp last week signed a deal with Lamps Plus, and the Charmin brand delivered a truck full of toilet paper to Broncos draftee Jake Butt (THE DAILY). Meanwhile, NBC's Jimmy Fallon played up Charlton's name in his opening monologue Friday, saying, "The Dallas Cowboys drafted a player named Taco Charlton. Of course, Taco isn't his given name. His given name is Cheesy Gordita Crunch Charlton. That's right, there's a defensive end named Taco Charlton, marking the first time a taco will be stopping some runs” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 4/28).
CALL ME, MAYBE: ESPN's Bob Ley noted the Cowboys after drafting Charlton aired a “secret” video on their website of Jones and coach Jason Garrett calling him. Ley noted "only the Cowboys” would release video of themselves speaking with their draft pick from the team’s war room, as Jones is the “entrepreneur of the western world.” Ley: “Brilliant -- again -- merchandising.” The MMQB’s Jenny Vrentas noted teams "more and more are producing their own content." They have "access media outlets won’t have,” and they are “using that to their benefit and draw readers and viewers to their own web site and property.” Ley: “The Cowboys continuously work at ways to make money” (“OTL,” ESPN, 4/28).
