Gabe Carimi

pass blocking

Has the elite agility and nimble feet to protect the quarterback's blindside. Very difficult to turn the corner against because of his lateral movement and solid footwork. Also protects the inside lane well. Delivers a strong hand punch capable of knocking back an opponent, and is able to recoil and extend again. Uses his length to block his man with one hand and knock an edge blitzer off his path with the other. Quick to cut on bubble screens and reverses, though he could get more of his man's legs to be truly effective. Bends at the waist while engaged; usually holds on to prevent secondary rush but will also end up on the ground too often.

slight tear in right mcl scarring, left ac joint (shoulder) sprain, h1n1 virus. fasted for 24 hours before 2008 game against iowa in observance of yom kippur.

Compares to

pulling/trapping

Usually not asked to pull or trap from the outside, but down-blocks often and has the quickness and footwork to move behind the line. Gets his quick hands out in front to get a piece of inside defenders before moving to the MIKE linebacker. Can sustain blocks in space because of his length and nimble feet.

intangibles

Solid player with strong work ethic, as well as football and general intelligence. Received multiple Academic All-American and All-Big Ten awards. Missed three games in 2008 with right MCL sprain, but played through maladies in 2009

run blocking

Known as an athletic pass protector, but is a strong blocker for the Badger run game. Has strong upper and lower body builds despite his height. Plays with leverage against stout defensive ends and tackles on the edge, can get under their pads and churn his legs to move them down or off the line. Effective combo blocker, gets a hand on a tackle and still manages to push ends out of the play on strong-side runs. Leans or bends at the waist to latch on at times, will get shed and lose his balance.

michael roos, titans -- roos might have been a first-round pick, as carimi is projected to be, if he had played at wisconsin instead of eastern washington. like roos, expect carimi to get a shot on the left side because of his toughness despite lacking exceptional athleticism.

--Chad Reuter

downfield

Excellent footwork and agility to get downfield. Reaches linebackers at the second level and defensive backs further downfield equally well. Knows the proper angle to cut off defenders from the ballcarrier. Good lateral movement once engaged, gives effort to sustain against smaller defenders. Tends to bend at the waist and punch instead of moving after initial contact.

initial quickness

Elite first step in his kick slide and lateral movement, does not get beat off the edge very often. Also explodes off the ball on run plays, is capable of driving his man back a few yards. Defenders will take advantage of the quickness to take him upfield or knock him off balance, however.

2008: Missed three games with a knee injury suffered in the first quarter against Ohio State, snapping an 18-game streak of consecutive starts. Sat out against Penn state, Iowa and Illinois.

Combine: 5.18 40-yard dash; 29 bench reps at 225 pounds; 9'1" broad jump; 31 1/2-inch vertical.

Parade All-American

rated by Rivals.com as No. 3 player in Wisconsin and No. 30 offensive tackle in the nation

PrepStar All-American

ranked among top 65 players in the Midwest by Superprep

Capital Times and Wisconsin State Journal Player of the Year

first-team all-state choice on both sides of the ball in 2005 (offensive and defensive line)

two-time, first-team all-conference offensive tackle

team MVP as a senior

earned four letters in football and track (captained both teams his senior year)

football coach was Mike Stassi.

Born 6/13/88

parents are Sanford and Alayne Gardner-Carimi