It was a bit of a long wait for Tariq Carpenter, but the first Georgia Tech player selected in this year's NFL Draft was chosen by the Green Bay Packers with the 228th pick.
During his time in Atlanta, Carpenter totaled over 200 plus tackles and had three forced fumbles, four interceptions, and 17 pass deflections. He was a leader in the defense and his impact will be missed.
It is always a challenge for any seventh-round pick to make an instant impact, but Green Bay does an excellent job of developing safeties. Carpenter had a nice pro day and NFL Combine and has the athleticism and physical traits to be on special teams at first. Carpenter is going to be a developmental prospect and fighting for a roster spot in training camp.
I think that Carpenter has the athleticism and ability to hang around in the NFL as a nickel linebacker. It will be interesting to see how quickly he can get adopted to the speed of the NFL. He will get plenty of reps in training camp and the NFL Preseason to show he has what it takes to make the roster.
We wish Tariq the best of luck in Green Bay!
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