At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Jake Carlock is a bit undersized to play either linebacker or defensive end, and his lack of top-end speed makes him a liability in the secondary at the NFL level.
Despite all of that, the New York Giants saw something in the Long Island-native and decided to sign him as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Throughout the spring and summer, Carlock has been used as a multi-tool, seeing snaps at inside linebacker, outside linebacker, defensive end, safety and long-snapper. We hear he cuts grass and fills water bottles on the side as well.
On Thursday night, the unlikely NFL rookie made his debut against the New York Jets and immediately turned heads due to a relentless motor that yielded not just a sack, but a tip-ball drill that culminated in a pick-6.
With two bus loads of family looking (and screaming) on, Carlock made a memorable first impression.
“I think for me, it’s all about effort. I’m not the biggest. I’m not the strongest. I’m not the fastest, but I can only control how fast I can go. So, every play, I’m going to give it 100 percent,” Carlock told reporters after the game.
That 100 percent effort is what the Giants love. It’s also what separated Carlock from the pack on Thursday night.
“You have to take advantage of your opportunities. As an undrafted free agent, you don’t get many. Once those guys went down, it was time for me to step up and try my best to make some plays, and I did,” Carlock said.
Carlock’s pick-6 was a prime example of a player simply doing his job and giving it 100 percent. It was an in-the-moment kind of play where natural ability, instinct and reaction take over.
“On that play, I was just trying to get the tackle and make a play. I saw, I think it was (Jets QB Davis) Webb, drop back. I saw his eye. I saw when the ball left his hands and I just got my hands on it and tracked it in. I took off running and tried not to get caught,” Carlock said.
The sack turned out to be nothing more than the cherry on top.
“I was just trying to make some plays and run around. Thankfully, I got a sack toward the end of the game,” Carlock.
Carlock’s impressive preseason performance was a continuation of what he’s done so far this spring and summer, and the closer the Giants get to cut-down day, the more difficult it’s going to be to part ways him.
Where Carlock ultimately ends up for the Giants remains to be seen, but he’s an all-around player and personality who is proving each and every day that he not only belongs in the NFL, but belongs in the MetLife Stadium locker-room, which was especially evident following the game on Thursday night.
