A Closer Look at Green Bay Packers Draft Pick Tariq Carpenter
By Paul Bretl
The Green Bay Packers had four picks in the seventh round of this year’s draft and spent the first on safety Tariq Carpenter from Georgia Tech, who was another prospect who visited with the team prior to the draft taking place.
As part of my prospect preview series, I will be taking a look at the Packers’ need at safety prior to the draft, what we could see from Carpenter as a rookie, stats of his that you need to know, and a few pre-draft reports.
If you’ve missed any of the previous articles, you can find them below:
Green Bay Packers need at safety prior to the draft
Coming into the draft, I thought the need at safety for the Green Bay Packers was a fairly big one. For starters, with Henry Black no longer on the team, Green Bay needed to find a third safety — and they still do — that they could rely on behind Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage.
However, with the addition of Quay Walker, which will allow the Packers to play more true nickel packages, the need for a third safety decreased somewhat significantly. And I imagine this played a fairly large role — along with how the board fell — in Green Bay not feeling like they had to find an early-round safety.
The other reason why I thought that safety would be on Green Bay’s radar early on is that the only safeties under contract in 2023 are Savage and Vernon Scott. This still remains a need that will have to be filled next offseason.
Tariq Carpenter’s potential role as a rookie
As a seventh-round pick, there is no guarantee that Carpenter is going to be on the 53-man roster; however, where he could really carve out a role as a rookie is on special teams–and I believe that ability is a big reason why the Green Bay Packers selected him.
Carpenter didn’t test all that well in the agility drills, receiving a “poor” score, according to his Relative Atheltic Score. However, he did run an impressive 4.52-second 40-yard dash, and that straight line speed will come in handy as a special teams player, as will his 408 career special teams snaps at Georgia Tech.
Although still listed as a safety on the team site, Matt LaFleur would tell reporters that Carpenter will be working with the inside linebackers. Having that speed at his size of 6’3″ – 230 pounds will allow him to fit that safety/linebacker hybrid profile, helping against the run and playing primarily in the box–although I wouldn’t anticipate him seeing many defensive snaps this season.
Tariq Carpenter doing more of the same in 9-on-7. Continues to beat climbing blockers to the spot, fitting really well. pic.twitter.com/nXN7GJF2zx
— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) February 3, 2022
Stats to Know about Carpenter
As already mentioned, Carpenter has very good size with impressive speed, and he also tested well in the vertical and broad jumps. However, the shuttle and 3-cone drills would give him issues. But still, his overall RAS was 8.92 out of 10.
Carpenter is an experienced college player with 2,178 career defensive snaps, according to PFF ($$). He would total two pressures over his career and was a fairly reliable tackler. In coverage, Carpenter would allow a completion rate of 72% on 125 career targets and 10.5 yards per catch. He also came away with four interceptions and 12 pass breakups.
From an alignment standpoint, Carpenter was all over the place, spending 843 snaps in the box, another 623 as the free safety, with 586 in the slot, and as already discussed, 408 on special teams.
What the pre-draft reports say about Carpenter
Lance Zierlein – NFL.com
"“The four-year starting safety is making the move to linebacker, where his size, speed and aggressive demeanor should help him fit more cleanly than at safety,” said Zierlein. “Carpenter is a natural in run support with clear eyes and a physical approach in the box. Taking on blockers in a faster-paced game could cause bumps in the road early on. He has good pursuit range, average body control and the potential to guard tight ends. Carpenter was an excellent pro-day tester, so the traits and special teams talent could buy him an early opportunity on a roster as he learns the linebacker position.”"
Tony Pauline – Pro Football Network
"“Positives: College safety who projects to outside linebacker at the next level,” wrote Pauline. “Quick to read and diagnose, athletic, and can flip his hips in transition. Fires upfield to defend the run, squares into ball handlers, and gives effort defending screen passes. Displays a burst to the action. Effectively picks up coverage assignments in the middle of the field. Solid open-field tackler.Negatives: Doesn’t show much explosion in his game. Lacks top speed to the flanks. Better making plays up the field than in reverse.Analysis: For four years, Carpenter was a solid run defender for Georgia Tech and possesses the size and substance to play outside linebacker in the NFL.”"