SoFlaJets Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 thanks to YJF at JI for finding this Pro Teams Give NU's Carriker a Grilling Apr 24, 05:40 AM By Rich Kaipust, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Apr. 24--LINCOLN -- Perspiration built on Adam Carriker's brow, and he did his best to discreetly swipe it away. New York Jets coach Eric Mangini was throwing questions at Carriker, the former Nebraska defensive end making a pre-draft visit to one of the NFL teams wanting a final evaluation. Carriker was feeling it. Mangini really had the heat on him. Seriously. "I swear he had that room at like 85 or 90 degrees," Carriker said. "I already sweat pretty easily, and here I am trying to wipe it off and act cool and not let them see it. I'm sure they did it on purpose." Other than an issue with the thermostat, Carriker had no problem with the Jets and their interrogation. Nor with the other six teams he visited in a 10-day whirlwind that took him to Philadelphia, St. Louis, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Washington. Nor with the organization that had 25 to 30 people in the room who seemed to just be staring at him. "After you do so many it gets kind of tiring, but it's just part of the job," Carriker said. "There's worse things you could be doing." Carriker returned to Lincoln last Wednesday from his last stop with the Washington Redskins. Most mock drafts have the 6-foot-6, 292-pounder going somewhere between No. 6 to Washington and No. 21 to Denver on Saturday in the first round of the NFL draft. Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN projects him as St. Louis' pick at No. 13. NFL teams are finicky when it comes to possibly spending their first-round draft pick on a player. So Carriker was out getting grilled like a cheap steak. Carriker said most visits were shorter than 24-hour stops, starting with arriving and having dinner with a position coach or general manager. After breakfast the next morning, the team might put him through a light physical, maybe have him watch some film, and then visit the defensive coordinator, head coach, scouts, G.M. or even the owner. "My approach was always that I might be meeting with all the big wigs -- all these guys with money and power -- but I wasn't going to look at it like that," Carriker said. "I'd go and act like I'm just sitting down and talking with another human being. You can't play it up too big in your mind." Carriker said Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye told him he made eight or nine of these visits. The players were in agreement that the last thing you wanted to do was turn anybody down. "Every team knows where you're going and who you're going to see," Carriker said. "So it's definitely a good thing." For Carriker, the visits to NFL teams followed the physical rigors of training for the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine and Nebraska's pro day. It created nearly a two-week stretch in which he had to put almost everything else on hold. He ran on a hotel treadmill or two just to squeeze in a workout. Carriker wrote in a diary on NFLPlayers.com that he always was just ready to "do business and talk football," and try to come off "like the disciplined and intelligent guy that I strive to be." Boarding 20 or so flights might have made him sick of airports, but it did help cure some of Carriker's fear of flying. On Monday, he went from Lincoln to Kennewick, Wash., where the All-Big 12 lineman will watch the draft. By Saturday night, he'll likely be on another flight to be introduced by the team that takes him. "I flew more than I had the rest of my life combined," he said. "Actually, that was very good for me. A little turbulence and I don't freak out anymore." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drago Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 The only way we land this guy is if 24 teams sleep through the draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFlaJets Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 The only way we land this guy is if 24 teams sleep through the draft. agreed-I don't see this guy slipping past San Francisco...I like the tactic of turning up the heat to see the kid sweat though....thinking outside the box again by Mangini and Co. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachTsurfing Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 He is one of the few players I would be happy with over Blalock. I wouldn't mind trading up a few spots to get him if he falls. I doubt that will happen though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFlaJets Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 He is one of the few players I would be happy with over Blalock. I wouldn't mind trading up a few spots to get him if he falls. I doubt that will happen though. watching him in that Senior Bowl was like seeing a pro play against High Schoolers-even if he DID happen to slide into the 20's no WAY would New England at 24 let him get to 25 and us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitonti Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 this might be the one guy the Jets would trade up for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drago Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 this might be the one guy the Jets would trade up for i think you are right, but if he slid to #20, there would be us, NE, and Den looking to trade with whoever has that pick. Denver would do what is necessary to get it, but i don't think NY, or NE would. BTW, i thought it was clever with mangini jacking the heat on him. I really like how he does things the way he thinks they should be done, follows his own drummer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitonti Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 the steelers would pounce at 15 the Jets would have to pull something off like the skins deal to 12 so the bills can take Peterson, then they deal down again for a Jets package of picks. honestly don't think they have enough ammo to pull this off it's pretty unlikely the more i consider it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECURB Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 agreed-I don't see this guy slipping past San Francisco...I like the tactic of turning up the heat to see the kid sweat though....thinking outside the box again by Mangini and Co. Or he is just a p***y who couldnt handle the heat... lol.... just sayin... You never know who might fall to your spot or what trades will pop up... if he slips far enough I think we might be able to trade up with just a 2nd rounder... but is that even worth it??? Thats 2 potential starters traded for one guy... he would have to be damn good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsis Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 We should trade vilma for a pick high enough to land him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green_blood Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 now, the heat thing is just a tad odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoFlaJets Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 the steelers would pounce at 15 the Jets would have to pull something off like the skins deal to 12 so the bills can take Peterson, then they deal down again for a Jets package of picks. honestly don't think they have enough ammo to pull this off it's pretty unlikely the more i consider it Bit how many teams do you think will make trades in the 1st round? There are always a few....Washington I could see and Denver has been very aggressive-as always Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBrick Wall Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 The only way I can see him fall is if teams think he won't be good in the 4-3 and he's mainly a 3-4 end, which I wouldn't see why they would think that. I'd be VERY surprised if the Jets traded up for him; I think that's why they went out and made some moves at the end position... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonehands Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 According to the Draft Value Chart, it would cost us our first and 2 seconds to move to 9 or 10. That's a lot to give up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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