Rudy Carpenter QB 6'3 220 Arizona St.

Carpenter played in nine games as a freshman, starting the final give and made the most of his time on the field. He led the nation in passing efficiency, completing over 68% of his passes for 2,273 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions. As a sophomore he had a solid season, though the numbers were not quite as impressive. He completed just over 55% of his passes for 2,523 yards and 23 touchdowns, while being picked off 14 times. Carpenter had another fine season as a junior last year, completing 61.8% of his passes for 3,202 yards and a 25/10 TD-INT ratio. An ankle injured hindered Carpenter the last half of his senior year, but he closed out his career with a respectable season. He threw for 2,493 yards while completing just over 60% of his passes for 16 touchdowns and nine picks.

Strengths

Carpenter is a tough quarterback who brings a gunslinger mentality on the field. He thinks he can make the big play and win the game every snap and every game. He shows excellent accuracy on short and intermediate throws, getting rid of the ball quickly and putting it in position for his man to make the grab and pick up extra yardage. Carpenter shows the ability to escape the rush and buy more time to find an open receiver. He has started since the midway point of his freshman season, so he is battle tested and does not back down from any challenge.

Weaknesses

Carpenter lacks the ideal physical tools for the QB position. He does not appear to be quite as big as his listed size, and he has taken a beating in college behind the ASU line. He has been sacked 146 times during his career. He also lacks the big time arm that goes with his on field demeanor. He thinks he can throw the ball through the defense and into tight spaces, when he doesn’t have the velocity to make those types of throws. He will force the ball and make some questionable decisions on the field as a result.

Future

Rudy Carpenter has a ton of experience and is a solid quarterback. He has some things that project well in the NFL like his toughness and accuracy, but he needs to learn to learn his limits and play within himself more. He has enough tools to play in the league as a backup at least, and if he does learn to tone it down a notch at times on the field, he could surprise and have a successful pro career.