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YEARBOOK '02 SCOUTING REPORTS

Wed, 08/09/2006 - 22:03 — Draft Insiders

Quarterbacks
1. DAVID CARR #8 - 6'3" 225 LBS. - FRESNO ST.- SP. 4.8 RATING 95
Athletically gifted senior passer completed an outstanding final season that has him challenging for the first overall selection in the NFL Draft '02. David has been one of the premier players in college football over the past two seasons, posting amazing passing numbers on a weekly basis. He is a well-developed player who combines the athletic ability with the keen intangibles necessary to succeed in the NFL. He is a well-built athlete with quick feet that allow him to setup fast in three, five and seven step drops. He has an excellent delivery with a quick release that allows him to deliver the ball with outstanding timing and precision. His mechanics are also well developed, he sets up quickly and has learned fine ball handling skills that allow him to work off the play action exceptionally well. He uses the pump fake well and has a quick trigger that allows him to bait cornerbacks on the first move. His improvisational skills are good and he has shown the quick decision-making and athletic talent to run or throw outside the pocket. As a passer, he has an excellent arm with the strength to make all the throws. He has fine velocity and accuracy on his passes - delivers the out in great shape and shows an exceptional touch on all his passes. He throws the fade well, allowing the receiver to make a play on the ball. On the slant and crossing patterns, he throws very well, displaying the quick release, accuracy and timing to hit receivers in stride. His intangibles and instincts rank with the best passers of the past decade. He has excellent pocket presence and can feel backside pressure very well and uses his quick feet to avoid the initial rush and move out of the pocket. He throws well on the move in either direction, displaying the ability to lay the ball out for receivers to turn a broken play into a big play. His three quarter delivery has drawn the attention of scouts, but it is not an issue with him due to his fine accuracy and mobility. Though not a scrambler of note, he is a good runner who is capable of pulling the ball down and making a critical first down. At the Senior Bowl practices, he was very impressive, displaying a live arm and accurate passing. He also shows the composure and poise to lead an NFL offense. His football instincts and overall intangibles plus his excellent athletic talent make him one of the best and more well rounded QB prospects of the past decade.
The Numbers: Only the 6th player in Division I history to total 4,000 yards passing and 40 TD passes during the same season. As a senior, he threw for 4,299 yards with 308 completions on 476 attempts for a 65% completion rate and 42 TDs and only 7 interceptions. As a junior, he threw for 2729 yards with 23 TDs on a 61% completion rate and 12 interceptions. He can bench press 390 lbs. and squat 500 lbs.
The Skinny: Very talented passer with all the skills necessary to excel in the NFL. His level of development is also very high and he is the type of player who should play much earlier than most players at this position. He makes the proper read consistently and goes through his progressions well when looking for secondary receivers. He is the highly probable first overall selection in April by the new expansion club, the Houston Texans. They will most likely retain the pick unless another team packages at least two No.1 choices for the top selection. He is a gifted player with well-developed skills for the most critical position in the game. At the combine, he did not run by his own choice, he had a 35" vertical jump, and a 9' broad jump. He has all the tools to become an NFL superstar, but must be used properly early in his career, especially if he plays for an expansion club. The only player with the overall talent to remotely remind me of former great QB Joe Montana over the past twenty years of scouting.
Draft Projection: 1st Round - First Overall Pick

Defensive Ends
1. *JULIUS PEPPERS #49 - 6'6" 285 LBS. - NORTH CAROLINA - SP. 4.6 RATING 93
Gifted junior defender completed an outstanding career in the ACC winning both the Lombardi Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation's best lineman and defender during his final season. Julius is a rare combination of size, speed and quickness that will most likely earn him one of the top two selections in the NFL Draft '02. He is an amazing
athlete who has performed on both the Tar Heel football and basketball clubs over his three-year careers. That's no small feat considering that the NC basketball program is one of the legendary teams in the nation. He did not perform on the basketball team this winter so that he could train exclusively for the NFL Draft this April. He is a chiseled athlete with linebacker type speed in a 275 lb. frame that may carry as much as 285 lbs. during his NFL career. He has outstanding quickness on the snap that allows him to get a fast advantage over offensive tackles. He has very fast and strong hands that allow him to throw blockers off balance and blow past them with his secondary pass rushing moves. As a junior, he registered 63 tackles including 19 TFLs and 9.5 sacks on his way to the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award. He also intercepted three passes, the most of any defensive linemen in the nation during the '01 season. He has cat like quickness that allows him to get up the field exceptionally fast and apply the outside pass pressure NFL clubs covet in a pro prospect. After finishing a dominant '01 season for the Tar Heels, Julius declared for the NFL Draft in January feeling he is ready for the NFL wars.
The Numbers: Finished 2nd in NC history in sacks and tackles for losses. His 30.5 career sacks placed him only behind Greg Ellis while his career TFLs of 53 were second to only William Fuller. Both other players played four seasons compared to Peppers' three years. He is only the 2nd Tar Heel to earn unanimous first team All-American honors, the first being Lawrence Taylor. During the '00 season, he had 64 tackles with 24 TFLs and 15 sacks earning first team ACC honors in the process. His TFLs set a new NC mark while his sacks fell one short of Lawrence Taylor's record of 16 established in the '80 season. His 15 sacks lead the nation in that category and in addition he registered 24 QB hurries despite being double-teamed during most obvious passing situations. As a freshman, he started all 11 games and lead NC in sacks with 6 and TFLs with 10 while also performing on the basketball team.
The Skinny: Rare athlete with the up field speed off the corner to be an impact defender at the next level. He is one of the few defensive end prospects at this position to be a complete player and eventually an every down defender. He has a strong frame with the quickness and agility to be a Pro-Bowl performer. He has definite growth potential and should eventually play in the 285 lb. range. He has a burst off the corner that combines quickness and power, enabling him to beat offensive tackles with multiple moves. He has started every game of his three-year career, a total of 35 consecutive contests. He is quick off the snap and displays explosiveness into the blocker that gains fast penetration into the backfield. He needs further hand technique work to further develop, though he has exceptionally fast hands to accomplish that task. He shows natural swim and rip moves, but needs further work on those maneuvers. He combines very rare speed and quickness for a player of his dimensions with well-developed use of his hands and arms to separate from blockers. He has the explosive burst to the ball to be a major impact player, showing the quickness on the snap and the fast lateral mobility to come back underneath as a rusher. He gets excellent use of his long arms to keep blockers off his body, showing the ability to diagnose plays fast and anticipate blocking schemes. He also uses his wingspan to disrupt passers and passing lanes when he is not able to reach the passer. He has blocked numerous passes over his career, showing the ability to drop in the short zones to intercept passes. While he has the speed to be tough in run support in pursuit along the line, he needs some work at the point of attack to take on 300 lb. plus tackles regularly. He is outstanding backside pursuit in run support, showing keen diagnostic skills and linebacker type speed. He is the prototypical defensive end in a 4-3 set, sturdy, fast, strong and the frame to get bigger. He is capable of redefining the position over the next decade and a player with the overall talent to become a defender in the Bruce Smith mold. Despite his fine rare numbers, he may need some time to become a complete defender in the sense of run support. He is the best collegiate athlete in the nation all sports and has the talent to become the best in the NFL at his position. He will be the first defensive player chosen with the Panthers and Lions very interested. At the combine, he did not workout. Capable of redefining the position. Super blue chip athlete with big play ability as a pass rusher and all the components to be a perennial Pro-bowler.
Draft Projection: 1st Round- Top Two pick