Carson Palmer was born on December 27, 1979 in Fresno, California. Although Palmer does not have the athleticism of some of the other great NFL quarterbacks, he has everything that he needs to succeed. This includes having a strong arm, great pocket presence, and being one of the smartest quarterbacks in the league.

Palmer played high school football at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. As a senior, colleges from all over the country took notice of him as he passed for 31 touchdowns and only four interceptions. When his high school career was over, Palmer held 27 school records.

After high school Palmer decided to play at the University of Southern California. During his freshman season in 1998, Palmer was named the starting quarterback in the ninth game of the season; a position that he would hold for the rest of his career.

Palmer had three up and down seasons for the Trojans, but things changed dramatically during his senior year. Under offensive coordinator Norm Chow, Palmer ended the season with 3,942 yards on 309 completions. This went along with 33 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. To cap off his great senior season Palmer was awarded with the Heisman Trophy.

In the 2003 NFL Draft Palmer was selected with the first overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. After not touching the field during his rookie season, he was then thrust into the heat of the battle. In his first full season in 2004 Palmer passed for 2,897 yards. He followed this up with 3,836 yards in 2005, and a trip to the playoffs. Unfortunately, Palmer tore both the ACL and MCL in his left knee in a first round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 2006 season was Palmers’ first since the injury, and it did not appear to hold him back at all. He finished with 4,035 yards and 28 touchdowns. There is plenty more of this to come.