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Tank Carder 2012 NFL Draft Diary

Tank Carder 2012 NFL Draft Diary: Combine Training II

By Tank Carder, as told to Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell

WalterFootball.com is proud to introduce our 2012 NFL Draft Diary with TCU linebacker Tank Carder. Throughout the draft process, Tank will be sharing his experience with the readers of WalterFootball.com. Tank will hit on the East-West Shrine Game experience, team interviews, the NFL Scouting Combine, his pro day, pre-draft visits, and of course, his draft day experience.

Carder was the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of they Year the past two seasons. He also was the Rose Bowl Defensive MVP in TCU's win over Wisconsin at the end of the 2010 season.

Carder totaled 228 tackles with 25 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, 19 passes broken up and four interceptions with three returned for touchdowns in his collegiate career. Carder is a hard-nosed football player who should have an interesting draft experience in 2012.

WalterFootball.com would like to thank Tank Carder for his participation. We would also like to thank Tank's agent, Kelli Masters of KMM Sports, for helping to facilitate Tank's draft diary. Carder and Masters are readers of this Web site, so it was a natural fit to approach them about having Tank's draft diary here. We are thrilled to have Tank share his journey with all of you. Now, let's let Tank take over.

It is high time for the Combine. I'm ready to do get to work in Indy, and show all the staff in the NFL the kind of athlete I am. It has been six weeks of hard work getting ready for this interview I'm about to go into. The training went by real fast and it is time to perform. I trust that have all the tools, so I'm ready to go and anxious to get started.

I'm really excited about my 40 time, bench press, the shuttles and all the workouts. I don't want to talk myself up too much and make any bold predictions. We'll just see on Monday, but I'm real confident in the times I'm going to put down. I'm really excited to show what I can do. It is going to be a lot of fun. We've been training and working hard on my technique for running the 40, the shuttle and everything. I'm confident in what my times will be and I'm ready to blow it up.

Throughout the workouts my body has definitely gone through some big changes. We did my exit weight, body mass index and fat percentage. My final weight was 232 and I started out at 219. My fat percentage went from 12 percent to nine percent body fat. And I gained 18 pounds of muscle and lost five pounds of fat. It is crazy to think about it, but it is a real transformation.

I know the interviews will be important. I'm pretty sure the interviews are going to be Friday, Saturday and Sunday night as far as formal interviews. There are also informal interviews every night. I practiced the wonderlic test. For the interviews with the coaches, I did some public speaking activities in front of the camera to get a feel for it. It is hard to prepare for because there is no way to precisely duplicate sitting with the top guys in the NFL with owners, general managers and head coaches. There is just no way to really fake that in preparation. You prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

At this point I haven't set up any team visits yet, but hopefully that will come after the combine. I'm looking forward to getting to know the coaches and general managers better through these interviews.

Tank Carder - listed in Round 3 of our 2012 NFL Mock Draft.

There will be a lot of great athletes working out with me and there is one in particular I'm looking forward to watching: the linebacker from Texas Keenan Robinson. We played against each other in a Texas high school All-Star game. He was on the opposite team. I've always watched him play and it will be interesting to see him work out.

Keenan also works out with my running coach, who is from Velocity in Los Angeles in Orange County. It will be interesting for me to see how Keenan does at the Combine.

I'm disappointed that my East-West Shrine roommate Jerry Franklin won't be at the Combine. When we were rooming together I asked him if was going to be at the Combine and he said no. It's all right. Its just another step, but we all end up at the same place with an NFL team. Even if you don't go to the Combine. The Combine can help some guys a lot, but it is all just a part of a bigger process. Jerry has a lot of good tape, and I know he'll do well.

It will be fun to get this going and I'm excited to put some impressive times down.

Tank Carder 2012 NFL Draft Diary: Home
Tank Carder 2012 NFL Draft Diary: Pro Day Workout - 4/3
Tank Carder 2012 NFL Draft Diary: 2012 NFL Scouting Combine - 3/28
Tank Carder 2012 NFL Draft Diary: Combine Training II - 2/23
Tank Carder 2012 NFL Draft Diary: Combine Training - 2/2
Tank Carder 2012 NFL Draft Diary: East-West Shrine Recap - 1/26
Tank Carder 2012 NFL Draft Diary: East-West Shrine Game - 1/20

tom johnson 02-04-2012 06:45 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.151 (total posts: 1)

hope you become a buffalo bill

Johnnyallstar 02-02-2012 03:46 pm xxx.xxx.xxx88.9 (total posts: 1)

I love the new feature Walt, hope we can see more next year.

Really good read Tank, hope you can keep calm and focused preparing for the combine. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Good luck bud.

connie rachunek sweeny, texas 02-02-2012 12:09 pm xxx.xxx.xxx1.33 (total posts: 1)

Congratulations on all your hard work, I love you so much and so proud for you!!!!

Tank fan 01-26-2012 10:21 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.203 (total posts: 2)

Sorry Tank, 4 of those thumbs down was me. I didn't understand what the symbols were until it was too late. I thought it was a link to open or something. So I clicked on a few to see what it was. Boo on me. Good luck man!!!

AJ 01-26-2012 03:50 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.186 (total posts: 2)

Thanks for taking the time to do this. You've made me a fan for sure.

David Gmerek 01-25-2012 08:00 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.164 (total posts: 1)

Best of LUCK on draft day.
David & Glenda Gmerek

Samuel N. 01-25-2012 11:22 am xxx.xxx.xxx.203 (total posts: 2)

Good luck in your journey Tank. You possess rare talents young man. I have followed your career and watched you grow and mature during your college experience. The first time I watched you play was beside Darrell Washington and you made that pick 6 at the Utah game in Ft. Worth 3 years ago. Your level of play is like none other. Even though you were injured and hurting all 3 seasons, you still maintained an elite level of dedication to contribute to the Horned Frogs amazing successes! I shutter to think of the records you could have broken if you weren't hurt. Everything about you makes you a first round pick to any NFL team in my opinion. You are one of very few that will go down in TCU history as one of the greatest and MOST memorable Horned Frog!!

Cris Lowe 01-22-2012 11:08 pm xxx.xxx.xxx7.34 (total posts: 1)

Wish the Falcons had less needs/more picks so we could draft Tank. He seems like the type who could be a fan favorite, and by doing the diary is showing that he cares about fans. Keep it up Tank, Il be rooting for you, and Im sure alot of other people from this site will be too.

Tiffany Temple 01-21-2012 05:36 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.206 (total posts: 1)

Your a machine! I'm so excited to see what life brings you next! Keep up your determination and hard work...see ya on the flip side!!

Terry Ullom 01-20-2012 09:52 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.195 (total posts: 1)

I have enjoyed watching you grow into the player you are and also the person you have become. You have always had that drive to be the best and are a special athlete. Sweeny boy.

Geoff 01-20-2012 02:37 pm xxx.xxx.xxx5.44 (total posts: 1)

118

Tank, TCU is going to miss you! You were a great leader and I have no doubt you will thrive at the next level.

- 01-20-2012 11:51 am xxx.xxx.xxx92.4 (total posts: 1)

comment censored by SOPA

Jon Taylor 01-20-2012 08:26 am xxx.xxx.xxx.190 (total posts: 1)

Wow. You managed to get Carder to do this. I like the guy even more now. I see Carder as a Daryl Washington type ILB in the 3-4 and would love the Cardinals to pair them up together next year.

Good luck Tank you'll do great wherever you end up and great job Walt this site gets better by the day.

Todd Marinovich's Trip 01-20-2012 05:38 am xxx.xxx.xxx.226 (total posts: 1)

Another AWESOME new feature!

Also, well done Tank. Loved watching you in college (no homo, mind). A real tackling machine. I think you are going to be a success in NFL.

AJ 01-20-2012 04:15 am xxx.xxx.xxx.186 (total posts: 2)

Thanks for doing this, I hope the Rams draft you!

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Tank Carder 2012 NFL Draft Diary

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