The Prospect Playbook: Adrian Clayborn (DE-Iowa) v. Gabe Carimi (OT-Wisconsin)

Welcome back to the playbook, peoples. Having looked at Julio Jones’ performance in the Capital One Bowl and his teammate Marcel Dareus in the same game, I decided to go back into the middle of the season for this matchup.

I’ve got 11 plays to look at that give a pretty balanced view of both players’ performances. Honestly, I didn’t think either player “won” the battle. Each of them had their highlights, and I think it gives a pretty honest view of their talents.

In all the video clips, Carimi, number 68, is lined up at LT; Clayborn wears 94 and lines up at RDE.

(Jeezy voice) Let’s get it.

If you’re looking for straight tape, Aaron Aloysius of DraftBreakdown.com has a video of the two going at it. And even though there’s no tape of this game, make sure you check out the MTD Film Library. Best two tape resources available, hands down.

And for easy reference, here’s MTD’s scouting reports on Carimi and the one for Clayborn. BTW, on the MTD big board, Clayborn’s ranked 12th; Carimi’s at #36.

14:29, 1st Q - 2nd & 8 from the WISC 16 (Wisconsin 0 - Iowa 0)
This is just the second play from scrimmage, part of a 15-play drive that would end with a field goal. Of those 15 plays, 13 were running plays. Obvious conclusion? Wisconsin, who was without WR Nick Toon, wanted to pound the ball behind their offensive line. They did just that for most of the game. Here, Carimi’s going to get great leverage on Clayborn who gets too tall and drive him back three yards. Turning his hips, he opens a huge lane for RB John Clay to pick up the first down:

Carimi’s got the power and hands you look for in a run blocker at the next level. His feet, as we’ll see later, aren’t always perfect, but he makes up for it, as he did here, with those long arms.

Here’s QB Scott Tolzien’s first pass of the day. Clayborn gets a great jump, but Carimi extends his arms to get an early push on him. That push extends Clayborn’s angle, and Tolzien steps up into space:

It won’t always be this easy for Carimi, but with so much power out of that push, he effectively negates Clayborn’s pass rush.

Iowa would respond to the Wisconsin FG with a 78-yard touchdown drive. The extra point was blocked, and ultimately that was the difference in the final score. On this play, Clayborn holds his ground against Carimi. In doing so, he keeps the lane tight enough so that Clay has no room to get around either DE Christian Ballard or LB Jeremiha Hunter.

It’s nothing flashy or spectacular, and it certainly doesn’t end up in the box score. It’s just the kind of play you have to make in run defense. And if you thought Clayborn didn’t have plus strength, this clip shows he can hold his own with big Gabe.

This one’s a huge play for Clayborn. Unlike the second clip, in this one Clayborn’s second engagement with Carimi shows he gets his hands up and into Carimi faster than Carimi can get his on Clayborn. That gives him just enough room to get a hand on the ball before Tolzien gets rid of it:

Good power from the base, quick hands - Clayborn has a lot going for him.

Clayborn freezes Carimi with his shoulders and forces Tolzein to throw the ball into the ground in front of RB Montee Ball. Nice move by Clayborn...and Tolzien:

Clayborn is going to cut inside and stunt with DT Karl Klug, but the Wisconsin line handles this one flawlessly. Carimi gets help from OG John Moffitt on Clayborn before sliding over to keep Klug out of Tolzien’s way:

Great work by Carimi and Moffitt; you gotta wonder if they’ll be on the same line at some point in their NFL careers.

A lot of pundits are pegging Carimi as strictly as a RT, but I think he could fit some schemes as a power LT. He doesn’t have the finesse that many teams look for on the left, but he’s technically sound. This clip’s a good example of that. His slide footwork is strong, and he anchors up into Clayborn’s chest as opposed to his shoulder:

That’s solid pass protection. Carimi’s not the quickest tackle, but he could be a solid lineman that could fill in at LT should a team lose its starter.

6:34, 3rd Q - 4th & 1 from the IOWA 2 (Wisconsin 10 - Iowa 13), 1:07, 3rd Q - 1st & G from the IOWA 2 (Wisconsin 17 - Iowa 20)
I grouped these together for an obvious reason - it’s the same play for the same result. Both times, Wisconsin has the ball at the 2 and Clay ends up in the end zone after plowing through behind Carimi:

In the second clip, Clay literally just runs up Carimi’s butt. That’s confidence in your lead blocker. Uncomfortable confidence.

This was the second play in Wisconsin’s game winning 15-play drive that included two fourth down conversions, a fake punt and one hell of a run from Ball to cap it off. On this play, though, Clayborn comes all the way underneath the line to stop Ball right around the line of scrimmage. Great effort from Clayborn on this one:

Klug and Clayborn stunt again, and collapse the pocket. Carimi gets too tall and Klug works underneath him to get to the QB, and Clayborn gets a great push on Moffitt to really tighten the space on Tolzien:

At this point, Clayborn was gassed. He sat out the next two plays on the sidelines, but even when he came back he looked slower and sloppier.

In both of these, Clayborn gets into the backfield and has the only chance to stuff the RB. Both times, he misses the tackle. That’s a tired man out there:

Carimi doesn’t go at Clayborn in either of these, but in terms of scouting I found these telling enough on Clayborn’s part to include here.

These don’t tell the whole picture of either player. They’re not a comprehensive tape that you can use for a complete scouting report. But they’re worthwhile clips of two likely first round prospects going at one another in one hell of a game.

The next Prospect Playbook is going to look at a mid to late round prospect, probably on the offensive side of the ball. Feel free to throw names or specific games at me.