Scott Linehan Gets His Man

By Jeff Gordon

Rams coach Scott Linehan had Nebraska defensive lineman Adam Carriker at the top of his wish list Saturday morning.

Of the players possibly available at No. 13 overall, Carriker appealed to him most. Although he played defensive end for the Cornhuskers, Linehan expects him to play defensive tackle and possibly nose tackle for the Rams.

“I tried to keep this somewhat of a secret; he was the guy I was hoping would be there,” Linehan said. “I thought it was be 50-50 if he would be there. There were two other teams that showed quite a bit of interest in him.”

Carriker confirmed the Rams’ interest. “They told me they would take me at 13 if I was there,” Carriker said. “I couldn’t be more excited or thrilled.”

He is listed at 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds. Carriker noted that he wasn’t a pure pass rushing defensive end or a pure run-stopping interior lineman.

“I can do both things,” he said. “I’m a big, strong guy that can run fast.”

Linehan loves his versatility. “In a crunch, he could probably play every position for us on the defensive line,” he said. “The great thing about Adam is he fills a lot of categories for us.”

The Rams expect Carriker to add another 10 to 15 pounds before training camp. Linehan rates run stopping as his biggest strength.

“He played end (at Nebraska), but he also played inside on third down,” he said. “He played inside in short yardage.”