Bobby Carpenter is without a
doubt 1st round talent – he has great
size, great speed, a tenacious hitter, and can cover
from sideline to sideline. One thing I’ve really
liked is his run support. Bobby is an excellent gap
shooter, and is a top notch when it comes to
stopping the run, or pass rushing. He has excellent
vision, and can read plays well, which puts him in
position to be around the ball at all times.
Blitzing is one of his strongest attributes, and it
is obvious by the way he flies around the field
wreaking havoc. Pass coverage is also a strong
point. He uses his big frame to disrupt routes and
timing.
Negatives:
Sometimes his tenaciousness
exceeds his brain. By this I mean, he over pursues
at times in a wild frenzy to get to the ball
carrier. Some people say he’s not the most sure
handed tackler they’ve seen. I don’t see it. I
happen to think he brings down most ball carriers he
ever comes in contact with and any criticism that he
doesn’t is overstated. However, I will say that he
sometimes has a hard time getting out of his
blocks. He does have a tendency to stay a tangled
up with the blocker too long. He also needs to rely
a little less on “bull” rushing, and use his feet
and hands to complete the play.
Overall:
You put Bobby Carpenter on just
about any other football team besides the Buckeyes
and he’s a solo standout and superstar. As it was,
he played on the best unit of linebackers in college
football with superstar talent around him. You can
take two things away from this. Either he looked as
good as he did, because Hawk was drawing the
attention and freeing him up to perform as well as
he did…or he really is just that good, and had the
opportunity to play with, and help make better, some
other talented players. Personally, I think he
really is that good, and has the tools and potential
to be great.
Final Word:
FIRE
―
If Bobby can stay focused and work on improving even
the most insignificant aspects of his game,
including some of the things that people tend to get
down on him for, he’ll be a huge name in the NFL for
long time. How great and how long is yet to be
determined, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he
will be a solid linebacker for the team NFL
franchise lucky enough to make the pick. He’s got
everything anyone could ever look for in the
position, and if he’ll keep his focus and learn from
some of the best, he’ll end up being one of them.
