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Leonte Carroo to Play in Senior Bowl

Carroo will represent Rutgers one more time before going pro.

By Scott Logan
Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

While Leonte Carroo's time with the Scarlet Knights has come to an end, Rutgers' all-time touchdown receptions leader will put on his Rutgers helmet once more before preparing for a future in the NFL.

Rutgers announced on Tuesday that Carroo has accepted an invitation to play in the 2016 Senior Bowl on Saturday, January 30th.

The game, which will be played in Mobile, Alabama, is an annual showcase of college football's top seniors as they look to get a head start impressing scouts early in the draft preparation process.

Carroo will be playing with names like Ohio State QB/WR Braxton Miller, Wisconsin LB Joe Schobert, and more.

Carroo is certainly worthy of the honor. Despite playing in just eight games, working with a first-year starter at quarterback and dealing with injuries throughout the season, Carroo still excelled. He caught 39 passes for 809 yards and tying a career-high with 10 touchdowns catches. His 20.7 YPC was a new career best.

Despite leading the Big Ten in touchdown receptions, Carroo was snubbed when All-Big Ten honors were announced after the season. He was a third-team all-conference selection by the media, and just an honorable mention from the coaches. You have to wonder how much higher his honors would have been had he not dealt with an early-season suspension and a nagging ankle injury.

While Big Ten voters may have looked past him, but Senior Bowl organizers did not, which bodes well for Carroo's NFL future. We can confidently expect to see Carroo joining fellow former-Rutgers receivers Brandon Coleman and Mohamed Sanu in playing on Sundays.

CBSSports.com lists Carroo as the 76th overall prospect in next year's NFL Draft, and the ninth-ranked receiver. He is the second-highest ranked Big Ten receiver, behind just Ohio State's Michael Thomas. The site believes Carroo could be off the board as early as the second round, which would make him the highest-drafted Rutgers player since OT Anthony Davis and FS Devin McCourty were selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

He will be the first Scarlet Knight to play in the Senior Bowl since LBs Khaseem Greene and Steve Beauharnais did so in the 2013 contest.

Carroo finished his Rutgers career among the top receivers in program history. His 2,373 career receiving yards ranks third on the all-time list, and his 22 career touchdowns is the most all-time by a Rutgers receiver. This is made even more impressive by the fact Carroo spent his freshman year primarily playing special teams, and did not record a single catch.

His ten receiving touchdowns this season is tied for the most in a single season in program history, alongside Brandon Coleman in 2012 and Marco Battaglia in 1995.

Thanks, Leonte, for a great Rutgers career! Be sure to catch him in the Senior Bowl on January 30th on NFL Network!