I heard a guy on ESPN Radio say Carpenter would

[X-Dawg]

have gone right after Hawk had he not broken his foot and in his opinion Carpenter had the better upside as a Pro b/c he's bigger "6'3' 260 compared to "6 1 1/2 245" - also b/c Carpenter was the better cover guy and could play OLB or ILB or MLB if needed wheras Hawk was more one dimensional - also said Carp's only weakness was he was a bit of a soft tackler for such a big kid and not a GREAT pure tackler....said he was an animal worker - a Defensive Captain type...and almost too agressive at times.

Now this was before the draft - And from what I read today - Sounds like we actually may have hit a homerun here ?

However, I'm not sure he has better upside then Hawk b/c everytime I saw Hawk he was casuing turnovers.

We'll see.

 

[Clove]

have gone right after Hawk had he not broken his foot and in his opinion Carpenter had the better upside as a Pro b/c he's bigger "6'3' 260 compared to "6 1 1/2 245" - also b/c Carpenter was the better cover guy and could play OLB or ILB or MLB if needed wheras Hawk was more one dimensional - also said Carp's only weakness was he was a bit of a soft tackler for such a big kid and not a GREAT pure tackler....said he was an animal worker - a Defensive Captain type...and almost too agressive at times.

Now this was before the draft - And from what I read today - Sounds like we actually may have hit a homerun here ?

However, I'm not sure he has better upside then Hawk b/c everytime I saw Hawk he was casuing turnovers.

We'll see.

I'm gonna say that that was an excellent pick, and I don't know who will be better, but right now, I like our guy.

 

[trickblue]

I have hear that before...

I also heard that Hawk would have to get direction from the other players on where to position up at times...

Let's hope this is right...

 

[braw]

Looking at game film especially the Texas game, Carp had alot of responsibility( Covering Charles coming out of the backfield, Was rushing from a 3 point stance, Containment on both rb and qb on the option) While Hawk was a frelancer, picking when to rush and just stayed around the LOS ala Ray Lewis. The speed that hawk is what seperates them(IMO). As far as team player, give him responsibilities Carp has hawk beat(Carp is not a high stat guy, but an anchor/capt for your defense)

Its the substance over style debate. What would you rather have the icing or the cake.

 

[THUMPER]

...also said Carp's only weakness was he was a bit of a soft tackler for such a big kid and not a GREAT pure tackler...

Watching the highlight clips of Carpenter I noticed that he has excellent tackling technique but isn't a big hitter. My first thought was that he must have been a wrestler because of how he "grapples" a guy rather than hits him. To me this is a much better/surer technique than say Roy Williams who looks for the huge hit every time and misses sometimes.

The interesting thing about him is that he targets the guy's hip area or lower and doesn't let go. He had several ankle tackles in the highlights but most were around the hips which to me is the perfect technique for tackling.

Without the big hits that get you on SportsCenter I could see why people would think he isn't a great tackler or that he was "soft" but I would disagree from what I saw.

I would still have preferred Lawson's playmaking ability at #18 but I am not at all disappointed in getting Carpenter as he will be a rock for us at LB wherever we need him to be.

 

[zrinkill]

have gone right after Hawk had he not broken his foot and in his opinion Carpenter had the better upside as a Pro b/c he's bigger "6'3' 260 compared to "6 1 1/2 245" - also b/c Carpenter was the better cover guy and could play OLB or ILB or MLB if needed wheras Hawk was more one dimensional - also said Carp's only weakness was he was a bit of a soft tackler for such a big kid and not a GREAT pure tackler....said he was an animal worker - a Defensive Captain type...and almost too agressive at times.

Now this was before the draft - And from what I read today - Sounds like we actually may have hit a homerun here ?

However, I'm not sure he has better upside then Hawk b/c everytime I saw Hawk he was casuing turnovers.

We'll see.

Wow ...... Dawg showing a positive attitude about the Boys draft .......

 

[groverat]

I LOVE Carpenter and think it was the perfect pick at #18, but AJ Hawk is more of a playmaker.

 

[rags747]

I too would have prefered Lawson...have always liked the homeruns better than the singles,doubles but I'm onboard with Carp. I think he's going to be really easy to like...he's got all kinds of energy.

 

[jbsg02]

i think carpenter is a safer pick than lawson. lawson had the higher potential as a pass rusher

 

[zrinkill]

What I like about Carp is I think he will quickly become a Team leader ...... everything I have heard says the kid is a natural field General.

Dat's Replacement in more ways than one.

 

[Sasquatch]

He had several ankle tackles in the highlights but most were around the hips which to me is the perfect technique for tackling.

Isn't this what people were criticizing Greenway about?

 

[MiStar]

A few small but important points:

* I can't remember ever seeing Carpenter get penalized for anything. No holding calls, no pass interference, no personal fouls, and no late hits.

* He gets his guy to the ground quickly, unlike Ware, who definitely struggles to wrestle people down at times.

* He will leave his feat, A LOT, to make tackles, which can be both a blessing and a curse. If he connects, it's almost impossible for the ballcarrier to gain any extra yardage. On the downside, he will occasionally miss the tackle with no chance of recovery. However, I generally see it as a positive trait.

 

[zrinkill]

* He will leave his feat, A LOT, to make tackles, which can be both a blessing and a curse. If he connects, it's almost impossible for the ballcarrier to gain any extra yardage. On the downside, he will occasionally miss the tackle with no chance of recovery. However, I generally see it as a positive trait.

Sounds like he tackles like Roy ..... but without the bone jarring hit.

 

[LeonDixson]

What I like about Carp is I think he will quickly become a Team leader ...... everything I have heard says the kid is a natural field General.

Dat's Replacement in more ways than one.

Also, he is better against the run than Lawson from what I've seen. Lawson may be a better pass rusher, but we needed a guy who can do both well. I think we got him.

 

[Eddie]

Hawk is a great athlete, but man, taking a LB with the #5 pick is freakin' ridiculous.

Unless Hawk can great pressure, there's no reason to take a LB that high. Hawk is a sideline to sideline player ... not a player who can create havoc.

Lions taking Sims at #9 is pretty bad also.

LB's rarely make that kind of difference ... unless you're LT, and that was 20 years ago.

 

[SALADIN]

have gone right after Hawk had he not broken his foot and in his opinion Carpenter had the better upside as a Pro b/c he's bigger "6'3' 260 compared to "6 1 1/2 245" - also b/c Carpenter was the better cover guy and could play OLB or ILB or MLB if needed wheras Hawk was more one dimensional - also said Carp's only weakness was he was a bit of a soft tackler for such a big kid and not a GREAT pure tackler....said he was an animal worker - a Defensive Captain type...and almost too agressive at times.

Now this was before the draft - And from what I read today - Sounds like we actually may have hit a homerun here ?

However, I'm not sure he has better upside then Hawk b/c everytime I saw Hawk he was casuing turnovers.

We'll see.

Thanks X-Dawg

I've said several times that if Hawk is the better prospect between the two, then it's not by much.

Carpenter can also put his hand on the ground and rush also.

This kid is a stud!

 

[2much2soon]

Hawk is a great athlete, but man, taking a LB with the #5 pick is freakin' ridiculous.

Unless Hawk can great pressure, there's no reason to take a LB that high. Hawk is a sideline to sideline player ... not a player who can create havoc.

Lions taking Sims at #9 is pretty bad also.

LB's rarely make that kind of difference ... unless you're LT, and that was 20 years ago.

Or Lavar Arrington at number 2?

 

[CrazyCowboy]

I hope he out performs Hawk.....he is a Cowboy now!

 

[bigdrulez3141]

In nickel situations, do you guys think Carp will line up as an end like Ware or will we keep Ellis there and have Carp as a coverage linebacker?

 

[Rack]

In nickel situations, do you guys think Carp will line up as an end like Ware or will we keep Ellis there and have Carp as a coverage linebacker?

Not sure, but it's a good problem to have.


He's a good blitzer too so lining him up at LB would give us 4 good pass rushing linemen and a potential blitzer (with pass rush skills) so I think he'll line up at LB.