Alex Carrington
 

Carrington was the guy who came out of nowhere at the Senior Bowl this week. It's still not clear to me how high he will go, or where he is best suited to play. But I thought he rated his own thread. Here's what Eric Edhold from ProFootballWeekly had to say about him:

"I knew zilch about this guy coming into the week. Nada.

But he was one of the first guys to catch my eye in what appeared to be a so-so group of North team defensive linemen. First, you notice the size — he's 6-5 and 284 pounds — and you think, 'Man, this kid looks like a base end in a 4-3 defense or even a five-technique in a 3-4. Then, you notice the quickness. He flew off the snap and really harassed most of the North offensive linemen, frustrating them with his strength and quickness. Even Mike Iupati, probably the best lineman in town and a possible top-15 pick when it's all said and done, was completely manhandled by Carrington on one play.

One of my regrets was not getting a chance to talk to him this week. I will be running by the hotel today and hope to snag his number so we can get a Q&A with him down the road.

Once I started reading about Carrington, it was clear that he didn't always play up to his potential in college. But he dominated on the small-school level and came into Mobile and did the same thing. Carrington looks like Jarron Gilbert, who was a high third-rounder last year, but to me might be a better player. In fact, the talk now is that he is a second-rounder for sure."

ProFootballWeekly.com - Five Senior Bowl players whom I learned about

Thoughts? I personally still think he goes 3rd round like Gilbert, unless he dominates at the Combine the way he did at the Senior Bowl.

Re: Alex Carrington
 

Previously, Carrington was rated the 10th best DE and a solid 3rd round pick. They also said he could go as high as the late 2nd and as low as the 5th round. Really, exact, I know.

Supposedly a very smart kid. But only marginal first step as a pass rusher. Supposedly excels against the run.

With his frame, one wonders if he could put on 15 lbs and still be effective.. If so, he'd be a great RDE in the 3-4... He would just need to learn to get his hands up..

Re: Alex Carrington
 

Pro Football Weekly = meh.

The only place I find any reference to Carrington regarding "consistency" is a critique of his speed off the edge not being fast enough for consistent pressure. There is also a reference to his hand punch not consistently jolting Tackles back. The kid is a three time All-Conference with two First Team efforts his past two seasons - the coaches thought his effort was adequate.

Here's this note from NFLDS analysis: "Intangibles: Graduated with a 3.52 GPA in Psychology and plans to return to grad school and become a clinical psychologist after his football career. Recruited by the likes of LSU and Mississippi, among others, but elected to come to Arkansas State to remain closest to his son. Started the final 36 games of his career. Also plays on special teams, including as an in-line blocker on the field goal and PAT units."

Re: Alex Carrington
 

And Saban gushes over him...said he could play for anybody.

Re: Alex Carrington
 

Yeah, Saban loves the guy since he gave Bama fits when they played ArkSt early this yr. I watched the game and he was the most impressive player on the field for either team.

Re: Alex Carrington
 

So where does he play? At 284 and short arms (for a 6'5" guy), he's going to have a tough time at DE for the Pats. And since everybody raves about how chiseled he looks, I wonder how easy it would be for him to add 15-20 lbs of muscle.

On a side note, it's amusing how someone can get excited over the fact that he beat Iupati on 1 play. In OL play, being off balance just a little bit can make you look really bad, so 1 play is not much of a sample size to form an opinion.

Re: Alex Carrington
 

Valid questions. It's not clear whether Carrington should be a strongside OLB or a 3-4 DE. His 31" arms (compared with 35 5/8" arms for Jarron Gilbert last year) are a definite liability.

As far as beating Iupati, I think that's irrelevant. Carrington was dominant all week, in practice and in the Senior Bowl.

Re: Alex Carrington
 

Did he have a sack yesterday or am I thinking of one of the TROY ends?

Re: Alex Carrington
 

Both Sheffield and Lang did Troy proud yesterday.

Carrington would have to play DE in our system and I think that he would play well as a replacement for Green. I a FT starter I would expect teams to run at him and for him to have trouble against the run.

Re: Alex Carrington
 

I wonder which one of those Troy ends are getting the bulk of the protection slid their way.

I don't know much about Carrington but he does seem closer to a 43 end than a 5 tech. at this point.