Welcome Barrett Carter

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Dane Brugler's write up about Barrett Carter.

Quote:BACKGROUND: Barrett Carter, who has two older sisters, grew up in Chicago. His parents (Barrett Carter Sr. and Alexis) moved the family to Suwanee, Ga., a northeast suburb of Atlanta, when he was 7. He started playing football at age 5 but blossomed in the sport after the move to Georgia. Carter's first love was baseball, and he was also active in basketball (his dad has a basketball background). Playing primarily running back and wide receiver, he quickly established himself as one of the top players in the North Gwinnett Youth football program and in middle school.

Carter attended North Gwinnett High. He initially played on the freshman team before moving up to varsity later in the year (as a running back) and helping the program capture the 2017 7A state championship (first state title in school history). Despite his objections, the varsity coaches moved him to linebacker as a sophomore in 2018 (Carter: "I hated defense, I had never really played it before.") — he finished with 51 tackles and seven tackles for loss. As a junior, Carter led North Gwinnett to 12 wins and the 2019 regional title, finishing with 73 tackles and 10 sacks. In a pandemic-shortened senior season, he did a little bit of everything on of f ense (wildcat quarterback, running back and wide receiver) and defense (linebacker and safety). Carter was named National Defensive High School Player of the Year with 49 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks and a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown. He rushed for 429 yards (9.3 average) and 10 touchdowns, made seven catches for 68 yards and threw a 13-yard touchdown pass.

A five-star recruit, Carter was the third-ranked linebacker in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 3 recruit in Georgia. He was the 33rd-ranked recruit nationally, one spot behind his future Clemson teammate Will Shipley. Carter received his first scholarship of f er (Temple) after his freshman season in May 2018. His recruitment blew up after his sophomore season, when he received of f ers from Alabama, Auburn, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. Carter received more than 60 scholarship of f ers in all before narrowing his final choice to Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State. After his visit to Clemson, he committed to head coach Dabo Swinney in May 2020. Carter, who had been recruited by former defensive coordinator Brent Venables, was the second-ranked recruit in Clemson's 2021 class. He was a three-time ACC Honor Roll honoree and graduated with a degree in sports communications (Dec. 2024). Carter declined his invitation to the Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS:
● Sudden speed and closes on the ball like a ravenous predator
● Frequently makes stops outside the numbers with perimeter range
● Quick to key on blocking scheme and flow to appropriate gap
● Able to slam on brakes mid-sprint to corral cutback angles
● Broken-tackle rate dropped from 20.5 percent in 2023 to 10 percent in '24
● Doesn't have any trouble turning and running with backs on wheel routes
● Tracks quarterback's eyes to get his hands in passing lanes (21 career passes defended)
● Rarely leaves the field (93 defensive snaps on the 2024 Pitt tape)
● Was a regular on punt coverage each of past three seasons (360 career punt/kickof f coverage snaps)
● Embraced veteran role in 2024 (defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin: "No one's more respected.")
● Missed only two games because of injury during four seasons at Clemson (52 games played)  

WEAKNESSES:
● Longer arms than expected for his size but doesn't consistently use them ef f ectively
● Needs to be more purposeful and well-timed with hands to shed road blocks
● Usually ends up where blockers want him to go
● Straight-line tendencies; looked slightly heavier and tighter on the 2024 tape
● Overcommits to gaps, leaving him late to scrape laterally and answer lane-changing runners
● Attacks high with only average finishing force, giving powerful runners the chance to escape his grasp
● Awareness in zone coverage brings both highs and lows
● Texas tight end Gunnar Helm bullied him at top of route
● Explosive downhill blitzer but needs clear lanes to be ef f ective and lacks pass-rushing instincts
● Missed one game as sophomore after suf f ering concussion (Oct. 2022)  

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Clemson, Carter lined up as a MIKE linebacker in defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin's scheme (he was originally recruited to play the "Cheetah" position that Isaiah Simmons popularized while with the Tigers). He rarely came of f the field (59.4 defensive snaps per game the past three seasons) and posted steady production.

A speedy run-and-hit athlete, Carter is one of the best open-field pursuit defenders in this draft class and has genuine sideline-to-sideline range.
Though he tracks the ball well, he will run himself into roadblocks and needs to widen his vision and improve his take-on hands to avoid becoming Velcroed to blockers.

Overall, Carter plays with the type of pursuit speed that can be weaponized as both a run defender and cover man, although he might be too reactionary and undersized for what some NFL schemes desire. At the very least, he will be lightning on special teams coverages while fighting for footing on the linebacker depth chart.

GRADE: 4th round