Tariq Carpenter took his time. The former Georgia Tech safety twisted his right foot, shod in a blue cleat, into the turf. He dropped to his knees and put his hands on the ground, stretching his back. He raised up into a track-start position, inching his hands back behind the start line, coiling his power.
Forty yards away, talent evaluators from almost every NFL team raised their stopwatches, ready for Carpenter to unleash. He raised his left hand behind him, paused and finally bolted forward out of his stance, his blue cleats a blur. Perhaps the most important run of Carpenter’s life – the 40-yard dash at Georgia Tech’s Pro Day on Monday morning at the Brock Football Practice Facility – had begun.
As he burst out of his stance, he was focused on generating power.
“Like, that first 10 (yards), generate as much power as possible and don’t rise up from the jump,” Carpenter said later. “Kind of let your body ease up.”
As his feet churned, Carpenter felt what he had trained to do. He said a good measure is to try to have reached 5 yards within the first four steps.
“I think I got like, 5 yards – right at 5 – right there, so I was on track,” Carpenter said.
According to a tweet from Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy – who has been a champion for Carpenter in his pursuit of a spot in the NFL – Carpenter covered the 40 yards in 4.52 seconds, supplementing his report with eyeballs emojis. Since completing his Tech career, Carpenter has dazzled at the Hula Bowl and the Senior Bowl. Monday’s Pro Day performance was further documentation for NFL teams of the physical gifts Carpenter brings to the table.
“Really, this was just going out there to put the icing on the cake, honestly,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter was one of 18 former Jackets who returned to campus for the pre-draft showcase, putting their NFL dreams on the line in the quiet, almost clinical atmosphere of the indoor practice facility. Along with fellow safety and close friend Juanyeh Thomas, the only former Tech player invited to the NFL scouting combine, Carpenter has the highest likelihood of getting selected in the NFL draft scheduled April 28-30.
Most others, including former Tech running back Jordan Mason, arrived Monday without having had the benefit of a showcase game.
“Really, this was just going out there to put the icing on the cake, honestly."
“Just give me a chance, and I’ll amaze somebody,” Mason said.
Players went through testing – such as the broad jump, vertical jump, 40 and other speed and agility drills – and performed position drills. Carpenter worked out for scouts at defensive back and linebacker, a position coaches had him play during the showcase games.
“Teams see me like a big ball of Play-Doh,” he said. “I’m so flexible as far as my position.”
They see Thomas similarly.
“A lot of teams want to see me play ‘backer and stuff,” he said. “They forget I’ve got (loose-swiveling) hips like a safety and a corner. So I had to go out there and show ‘em that. I feel like I did that (Monday).”
Carpenter’s 40 time does not stand out compared with the safety prospects (including Thomas) who performed at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. But, compared with the linebackers that Carpenter’s 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame is more similar to, he fared quite well. His broad jump, another measure of explosiveness, was 11 feet, 4 inches, which would have tied for the best mark at the combine of all prospects. Carpenter already has two visits lined up with NFL teams: the Bears and the Cardinals.
“I really wasn’t nervous, honestly,” Carpenter said. “These drills, that’s kind of what I do. God blessed me with explosiveness.”
Performing before nervous family members and former teammates and coaches, the draft hopefuls had their one final time to compete in Tech gear in a Tech facility. Others performing were defensive tackle Djimon Brooks, defensive end Antonneous Clayton, offensive tackle Devin Cochran, tight end/fullback/long snapper Jack Coco, running back Jerry Howard, linebacker Quez Jackson, guard Ryan Johnson, running back Bruce Jordan-Swilling, punter Austin Kent, defensive back Ajani Kerr, offensive tackle Kenneth Kirby, wide receiver Kyric McGowan, cornerback Tobias Oliver, wide receiver Azende Rey and cornerback Tre Swilling. Howard and Kerr both transferred from Tech but returned for Pro Day, taking advantage of the sizable presence of scouts.
“I finally feel like an old-head,” Cochran said. “It’s like a grown-up feeling.”
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