The Rams stayed on the defensive side of the ball for the Carroll Rosenbloom Memorial Award for the team’s top rookie, rewarding Carriker for his impressive debut season.

Carriker emerged as the team’s starting nose tackle after the Rams grabbed him with the 13th pick in the NFL Draft. Carriker rewarded the Rams with a blue collar season in which he played every position along the defensive line and helped improve an ailing run defense with his stout presence in the middle.

“I feel like I played well,” Carriker said. “I felt like I got progressively better throughout the year because I got more comfortable with the positions and that was my goal for this year."

Through 15 games, Carriker has racked up 43 tackles, a pair of sacks and two passes defended. Carriker’s versatility and ability to move to every position on the line made him a valuable piece to a defense that improved in 2007.

It remains to be seen what Carriker’s role in his second season will be, but he doesn’t mind where he ends up so long as he continues to get on the field.

“I actually kind of enjoy moving all over,” Carriker said. “It gives me a chance to play a lot of different positions and I get to do a lot of things a lot of guys don’t get the opportunity to do. I enjoy that.”