Brian Brohm, Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia were the main draws for NFL scouts who ventured to Louisville in recent seasons, but Patrick Carter was never a complete afterthought.

The former Georgia Tech quarterback spent most of his college career fighting for playing time. Thanks to injuries to Urrutia and Douglas in 2007, Carter showed flashes of brilliance during his five-game audition as a starter.

Carter joined the Louisville program in 2005, having left Georgia Tech for an expanded opportunity to play. He was recruited by the Yellow Jackets as a quarterback, but saw most of his action on special teams during his eight-game career in Atlanta. He competed on the Cardinals' track team while sitting out the 2005 season at Louisville under NCAA transfer rules. He would go on to start eight of the 20 games in which he appeared at UL.

The brother of former New York Giants and Cleveland Browns wide receiver, Tim Carter, Patrick was rated the 12th-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation, according to Rivals and rated the 19th-best quarterback nationally by Tom Lemming at Lakewood High School. An All-Region selection by Prep Star, he was a member of the Florida Super 75 by the Florida Times-Union, which tabbed him the fifth-best quarterback in the state.

Carter was rated the 46th-best prospect in Florida by the Orlando Sentinel, receiving honorable mention All-State (Class 4-A) by the Florida Sportswriters Association. He also made the All-Conference Academic team. He threw for 2,304 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior, when he also rushed for 300 yards and four scores.

As a junior, Carter passed for 1,884 yards and 15 scores, along with 400 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The three-year letterman and team captain, he also lettered in track. He anchored the 2003 state championship relay team in the 4x100 meters.

Carter redshirted as a freshman quarterback at Georgia Tech in 2003. He appeared in eight games for the Yellow Jackets in 2004, but saw most of his action as a punt returner. He gained 219 yards on 26 attempts (8.4-yard average). He also rushed twice for 22 yards and attempted one pass.

After sitting out the 2005 season at Louisville, Carter appeared in nine games in 2006, starting three contests as a slot receiver. A high ankle sprain sidelined him for the final four games of the regular season, as he finished with five catches for 68 yards (13.6-yard average). He averaged 5.9 yards on 18 punt returns and completed his only pass attempt for a 21-yard touchdown.

As a senior, Carter started five of 11 games, missing the Pittsburgh clash with an ankle sprain. He hauled in a career-high 26 passes for 396 yards (15.2-yard average) and five touchdowns. He also attempted a pass vs. Connecticut, but it was intercepted.

Positives: Has a well-defined frame with proportioned muscle tone, long arms, good upper-body definition and muscular calves … Has valid timed speed, serving as a sprinter on the track team at UL … Still trying to learn route technique, but has the size to get to a pass at its highest point … Has good body control, showing sudden moves coming off the snap … While he was just a marginal-to-adequate punt returner, his soft hands, size and power running with the ball could make him a capable kickoff return specialist at the next level … Can explode off the snap when he gets a clean release, but must be more aggressive using his hands to escape the jam … Builds his acceleration nicely in his route and has the second gear to escape after the catch (just lacks hip wiggle and has to rely on his one-cut ability to separate) … Showed marked improvement with his body control in and out of his breaks and would be even more effective if he would get his torso turned around more smoothly … Started to get a better feel for shooting his hands and using his punch to escape the jam late in the 2007 season, but is still a work in progress … Works the sideline well, keeping balance as he extends for the pass … Needs to sinks his hips better, but finds ways to separate quickly once he finds the seam … Known for his leaping ability and effectively combating for the ball … Still needs to develop better route awareness, but has the ability to make square cuts to gain leverage … Big target for the short area doing an adequate job when sitting and sliding, but needs to be more aggressive fighting for catches … Looks to be tentative to stretch his body out in traffic, but if he can gain courage, he has the athletic ability to combat defenders for the ball and the leaping skills to haul the pass in at its highest point … Has started to show better ability to take advantage of the defensive back giving him a cushion, settling in the short area to get to underneath passes or using his height and leaping ability to get to high throws as a target in the red zone … Has a strong arm to throw the option pass and could handle basic quarterback duties in an emergency.

Negatives: Has good timed speed, but needs to translate it to the field with consistency … Has soft hands, but will use his body as a crutch and trap the ball rather than extending … More of a one-cut runner who has stiff hips, and is not sudden in his breaks … Has a "track man's" mentality and shies away from the rigors of the training room, but needs to develop better overall strength … Despite his size, smaller defenders have decent success jamming him at the line of scrimmage due to his poor hand usage … Still learning how to run precise patterns and seems to lack awareness … Does not always locate the soft areas on the field or work back to the ball when the pocket is pressured … Has hip tightness trying to turn his body and look the ball in over his outside shoulder … Gets bumped and knocked around too much working underneath and needs to show better courage going for the ball in a crowd … Marginal stalk blocker who shies away from contact … Most of his routes come on run-offs … Looks a little stiff trying to stretch the defense, as he lacks the hip snap to suddenly turn out of his breaks … Despite his track speed, he lacks flexibility in his movements … Can get tangled up at times vs. the press and needs to develop better strength to power through rather than trying to elude.

Compares To: JAMES JONES-Green Bay … Carter is an impressive-looking athlete, but still needs to develop football skills, as he still plays with a "track man's" mentality. He must be more aggressive when facing press coverage and attack the ball with vigor in a crowd. He is more of a one-cut runner with some hip tightness, but has the valid speed to stretch the field with a quicker release off the line. He is a few years away from contributing and will need patient coaching to teach him proper route-running technique, but with his size and speed, he's worth a very late-round look and a possible stashing on the developmental squad.

2006: Sat out the Rutgers (11/09), South Florida (11/18), Pittsburgh (11/25) and Connecticut (12/02) games with a left high ankle sprain.

2007: Did not play vs. Pittsburgh (10/27) due to a left high ankle sprain … Re-injured the ankle vs. West Virginia (11/08).

Campus: 4.38 in the 40-yard dash … 1.44 10-yard dash … 2.5 20-yard dash … 4.32 20-yard shuttle … 6.8 three-cone drill … 37-inch vertical jump … 10'1" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 15 times.

Attended Lakewood (St. Petersburg, Fla.) High School, playing football for head coach Brian Bruch … Rated the 12th-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation, according to Rivals and rated the 19th-best quarterback nationally by Tom Lemming … All-Region selection by Prep Star … Member of the Florida Super 75 by the Florida Times-Union, which tabbed him the fifth-best quarterback in the state … Rated the 46th-best prospect in Florida by the Orlando Sentinel, receiving honorable mention All-State (Class 4-A) by the Florida Sports-writers Association … Made the All-Conference Academic team … Threw for 2,304 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior, when he also rushed for 300 yards and four scores … As a junior, Carter passed for 1,884 yards and 15 scores, along with 400 yards and four touch-downs on the ground … The three-year letterman and team captain also lettered in track … Anchored the 2003 state championship relay team in the 4x100 meters.

Communications major, with a minor in biology … Son of Laura and John Carter … Brother, Tim, was a wide receiver at Auburn, playing five seasons for the New York Giants before signing with the Cleveland Browns in 2007 … Born 2/06/85 … Resides in St. Petersburg, Florida.