Adam Carriker

Adam Carriker

Carriker during the 2011 training camp.
No. 94     Washington Redskins
Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: May 6, 1984 (1984-05-06) (age 27)
Place of birth: Hastings, Nebraska
Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Weight: 311 lb (141 kg)
Career information
College: Nebraska
NFL Draft: 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13
Debuted in 2007 for the St. Louis Rams
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2011
Tackles     123
Sacks     9.0
INTs     0
Stats at NFL.com

Adam Eugene Carriker, (born on May 6, 1984), is a professional American football defensive end for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska.

Contents

Early years

Carriker attended Kennewick High School, where he played quarterback and defensive end. He was a three-year starter at quarterback and team captain for three years. In his only season at defensive end (his senior season), he recorded 25 tackles, 15 sacks, and four forced fumbles in a winless season. Regardless, he was named to Second-team All-Big 9 Honors. Carriker visited Oregon, Oregon State and Washington State before finally deciding to commit to Nebraska. Additionally, Carriker was a three-time All-Conference selection in baseball and ran track for one year.

College career

Carriker redshirted in 2002. In his 2003 freshman season he played extensively in passing situations before injuring his ankle against Utah State. Against the University of Colorado he had three quarterback hurries and ended a CU drive in the third quarter with a nine-yard sack of quarterback Joel Klatt. He finished the year with three tackles and three quarterback hurries. He played in his first bowl game, the 2003 Alamo Bowl after the regular season. In his 2004 sophomore year Carriker was hampered for the second straight season by an ankle injury. He played in 10 games with eight starts in the 2004 campaign, and finished with 36 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and three sacks for 18 yards. Carriker added seven quarterback hurries during his sophomore season.

As a junior in 2005 Carriker started all 12 games at the base end spot, and finished with 9.5 sacks for 84 yards and 17 tackles for loss for 96 yards. His 9½ sacks tied for the Big 12 Conference lead and ranked 19th nationally. He also led Nebraska with 21 quarterback hurries, 10 more than any other Husker defender. Carriker’s 43 total tackles ranked seventh on the team and tied for the most among defensive linemen. He began his junior season by notching two of the Huskers’ school-record tying 11 sacks in the team’s 25-7 win over Maine. Carriker capped 2005 with one tackle in the Alamo Bowl victory over the University of Michigan. Adam was voted 2005 Nebraska Defensive MVP.

As a senior in 2006 Adam Carriker completed a dominant career in the 2006 season Cotton Bowl Classic against Auburn University. In 2006, Carriker earned Nebraska’s Defensive MVP honor for the second straight season, and was honored as the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year by the league’s coaches. Carriker finished the season with a team-leading seven sacks and ranked second on the team with 16 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. His 52 total tackles led all Nebraska defensive linemen, and he also paced the Blackshirt defense with 12 quarterback hurries, while registering his first career interception. In addition to his selection as Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, Carriker was a First-team All-Big 12 pick by the Big 12 Coaches and the Associated Press. He was also a Third-team All-America selection by Rivals.com.

The strong senior season put Carriker’s name in a prominent position in the NU record books. He finished with 41 career tackles for loss to rank fifth in the program’s history. Carriker has 20½ career sacks to rank sixth on the Cornhusker charts. Carriker graduated with a degree in business administration.

College statistics

Year
Team
GP
GS
TT
Solo
Ast
TFL
Sack
PDef
INT
FF
FR
Hurr
BK
TD
2003 Nebraska 9 0 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
2004 Nebraska 10 8 36 19 17 7 3 0 0 0 0 7 0 0
2005 Nebraska 12 12 43 26 17 17 3 0 0 1 21 0 0
2006 Nebraska 14 14 52 24 28 16 7 3 1 1 0 12 0 0
Career 45 34 134 71 63 41 19½ 6 1 1 1 43 0 0

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measureables
Ht Wt 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20 ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP Wonderlic
6-6 * 297 lb * 4.72 ** 1.58 ** 2.70 ** 4.18 * 7.06 * 33½ in. * 9'02" * 33 * 28 *

(* represents NFL Combine; **represents Nebraska Pro Day- March 7, 2007) [1]

St. Louis Rams

On July 26, 2007, Carriker signed a five-year $14.5 million contract, with guarantees of $9.5 million.[2] Carriker started all 16 games of his rookie season at defensive tackle instead of his college position, defensive end. Carriker, who bulked up from the 296 pounds he weighed at the NFL combine, weighed in the 305-pound range during the 2007 season.

He was voted the Rams Rookie of the Year called the Carroll Rosenbloom Memorial Award, finishing with 2 sacks, 30 tackles, and a safety. Carriker missed the entire 2009 NFL season due to injury.

Washington Redskins

Carriker was traded to the Washington Redskins on April 20, 2010. In exchange, the teams swapped fifth and seventh-round draft picks in 2010.[3] After initial shock, Carriker was pleased about his trade and the chance to revitalize his career.[4]

In Washington, Carriker earned the starting left defensive end position for the Redskins in a 3-4 defensive scheme. With the Rams he was a "3-technique" defensive tackle in a 4-3 defensive scheme which did not work out and led to his trade to the Redskins. "In St. Louis, we tried to make him a 3-technique and up-the-field rusher," said defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. "For a guy who ran the 40 in 4.7 and was 6-6, 315 pounds, you'd think he could do that. But that's not what he wants to do. He wants to play with strength and power, and he does a pretty good job of it. He feels so much more comfortable in this."[5] Carriker's 315 pounds is ideal, and he reported at the beginning of the 2010 season that he bench pressed 500 pounds, which helps him in his new position.[6]

Early in the 2010 season the change drew positive reviews, said Rich Campbell of Fredricksburg.com, "I’m buying Carriker as an impact 3-4 end right now. He’s strong enough to set the edge on running plays, and he’s even generating a pass rush on occasion. Carriker stopped Houston RB Arian Foster for a 2-yard loss in the second quarter after he made a quick step inside the pulling left guard. He also beat a double team on the first play of the second half to stop Foster for a gain of one. Carriker isn’t dominant—but he is flashing."[7]

References

  1. ^ NFL Draft Scout.com "Adam Carriker". NFL Draft Scout.com. March 25, 2007. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=8447&draftyear=2007&genpos=DE NFL Draft Scout.com. Retrieved April 15, 2009. 
  2. ^ ESPN.com
  3. ^ Smith, Michael David (April 20, 2010). "Rams trade Adam Carriker to Redskins". Profootballtalk.com. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/20/rams-trade-adam-carriker-to-redskins/. Retrieved 2010-04-21. 
  4. ^ Carriker, Adam (September 12, 2010). "Hog Blog with Aam Carriker". The Hogs.net. http://www.thehogs.net/content/index.php?id=1252. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
  5. ^ Campbell, Rich (September 12, 2010). "Carriker, Barron old foes". Fredericksburgh.com. http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2010/092010/09102010/574438. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
  6. ^ Carriker, Adam (September 12, 2010). "Hog Blog with Aam Carriker". The Hogs.net. http://www.thehogs.net/content/index.php?id=1252. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
  7. ^ Campbell, Rich (September 12, 2010). "Game Balls, Gassers and Observations: Texans 30, Redskins 27". Fredericksburgh.com. http://blogs.fredericksburg.com/redskinsjournal/2010/09/21/game-balls-gassers-and-observations-texans-30-redskins-27/. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 

External links

Awards
Preceded by
Tye Hill
Rams Rookie of the Year Award
2007
Succeeded by
Chris Long