James Carpenter

Even Nick Saban knows James Carpenter was a 1st round reach

College coaches will lie all offseason about how great their players are going to be in the NFL. They hype up their players because it’s good for recruiting, and their future NFL draft prospects want to know they’ll be supported.

But they also know the true value of a player’s draft stock and Nick Saban, forgetting the cameras were on him, shared those thoughts about James Carpenter when the Seattle Seahawks selected him in the 1st round:

I gave the Seahawks an F for their selection of Carpenter, and it sounds like Saban concurs.

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Ryan McCrystal in 2011 NFL Draft, Seahawks Comments Off

James Carpenter scouting report

James Carpenter OT Alabama
Ht: 6’4″

Wt: 321
Strengths:
Fundamentally sound player who anchored Alabama’s line at left tackle for two years. Good footwork; decent quickness for his size. Strong lower body allows him to anchor against the bull rush.
Weaknesses:
Not a great athlete; probably limited to playing right tackle or guard in the pros. Not a dominant run blocker; fundamentally sound but doesn’t play with that mean streak that allows guys to really finish off blocks.
Comments:
Carpenter came to Alabama after spending two years at JUCO and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup at left tackle. He is battle tested and should be a safe mid-round pick. However, he isn’t a great athlete, doesn’t have dominant strength and as a result doesn’t have a lot of upside. He could prove be an adequate starter, but there isn’t much room to improve; he may already be playing his best football.
Posted on March 31, 2011 by Ryan McCrystal in Scouting Reports - 2011 Comments Off