Michael Carter 2021 NFL Draft profile: Fantasy soccer outlook, Professional Day stats, 40-yard sprint, scouting report

A 3-star prospect as rated by 247Sports, Michael Carter posted 3,345 all-purpose yards with 2,536 approaching the bottom and an astounding 45 complete touchdowns as a senior at Navarre Excessive Faculty simply exterior of Pensacola, Fla. Not dangerous for a child coming off a torn PCL and LCL in his proper knee the yr prior.

Named the USA At the moment Florida Offensive Participant of the 12 months, Carter was recruited by Florida, Tennessee, Louisville and Mississippi State however finally went to North Carolina. There, Carter was a part of a multi-pronged speeding assault that included fellow 2021 prospect Javonte Williams. He completed his profession there with 3,404 speeding yards, 656 receiving yards and 28 complete touchdowns in 44 video games. Carter additionally took half within the 2021 Senior Bowl the place he led the Nationwide group with 60 rush yards on eight carries with a landing.

Michael Carter

UNC •

RB •

8

Peak 5’8

Weight201

Age21 (5/7/99)

40-yard sprint4.50/4.55 *Professional Day

Vertical leap34-inches

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We’re breaking down every part it’s essential to find out about Carter from a Fantasy supervisor perspective, together with most closely fits, Dynasty outlook, measurables, scouting report, key stats and an NFL comparability.

Fantasy matches

Denver Broncos

Not many groups will view Carter as an every-down again, so it will take a group that desperately wants a “lightning” element for its run sport to make Carter engaging for Fantasy. The Broncos can supply precisely that. Carter may theoretically be Denver’s “1B” choice to Melvin Gordon’s “1A” and, with a robust rookie season, may contend for the lead function as quickly as 2022.

New York Jets

Gang Inexperienced’s run sport is vast open and figures to be molded like San Francisco’s. Whereas meaning nobody again will reliably be counted upon sport after sport, it additionally means cut-back runners who excel in zone blocking will probably be prioritized. That is an enormous a part of Carter’s sport. Touchdown in New York may equate to 10-plus touches every week proper off the bat.

Arizona Cardinals

It would take some guts from Kliff Kingsbury to roll into the 2021 season with satellite tv for pc backs like Chase Edmonds and Carter as his prime choices, however they might feasibly rotate and be used equally. Predicting weekly stats can be robust, however at the least a workload of eight-plus touches per sport may very well be leaned on (and far more if Edmonds had been to wrestle or miss time).

Houston Texans

The Texans’ backfield is crowded proper now, however Carter would instantly change into the group’s most elusive working again and will assist in the passing sport. Furthermore, he’d be able to be a much bigger a part of their run sport in 2022. 

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Dynasty outlook

Carter’s an excellent again who’s going to must catch some breaks to change into a workhorse within the NFL. He is a shifty, compact runner, however he would not have the blazing pace, constant energy or cross safety chops to guide a backfield. Not at this level anyway. It wedges him right into a complementary function that, in the precise offense, may imply anyplace from 10-to-15 touches per week. He may evolve from there, however he may additionally wrestle to maintain that workload. In a rookie class with a number of nice working backs and much more nice receivers, Carter ought to fall to the top of Spherical 1 if not early Spherical 2 in rookie-only drafts.

Scouting report

Strengths

• Brief, stocky construct challenged defenders not solely to wrap him up but additionally find him behind his offensive linemen.
• Displayed glorious persistence in following his blockers in each zone and energy schemes. Transferred over to following blocks downfield, too. 
• Had glorious imaginative and prescient to establish the place his speeding lanes had been. When he did cease or shuffle his ft, it was normally as a result of defenders crashed his O-line. He did not stumble upon his O-line’s butts fairly often.
• Terrific focus and fearlessness, which helped him navigate very tight quarters when working between the tackles. 
• Carter had superb lateral agility that gave him the products to be a cut-back escape artist. Would usually leap reduce, shift, slide and juke his approach by means of defenses for additional numbers.

• Do not mistake his dimension for his toughness. Carter was by no means afraid to run with a bodily edge.
• Was unfazed by lower-body sort out makes an attempt, incessantly breaking out of defenders’ grasps like Alvin Kamara. That features when he ran in tight, dense areas between the tackles. He is slippery.
• Acceleration and burst weren’t constant however was principally good. Usually sprung into gear as soon as he identified a play and knew the place he needed to go. 
• Wasn’t a burner however had adequate pace, displayed at its greatest when Carter rushed to the perimeters and broke away from defenders.
• Completed performs with toughness and smarts. Did a strong job of diagnosing defenders on the finish of performs. Would run to contact incessantly to max out his yardage and sometimes would drag a defender to select up additional yardage. 
• Ball safety was superb. Fumbled twice in 2018 (109 touches), as soon as in 2019 (198 touches), zero occasions in 2020 (181 touches).
• Largely good fingers within the passing sport. One drop all of 2020. Naturally turned upfield after the catch and was efficient in house.
• Returned kicks for North Carolina, averaging 22.4 yards per return on 29 tries with no touchdowns. 

Issues

• Hand dimension is 8 3/4, which is taken into account very small. 
• Underweight, which may make him a legal responsibility if pressed into an enormous function. 
• Carter is not an enormous goal, however his energy was non-existent when defenders hit him excessive. When defenders wrapped him above the waist, the play was over.
• Had good burst, but it surely took him a second to acknowledge the place to run as soon as he had the soccer in his fingers. The marginally sluggish response time may value him alternatives on the professional degree.
• Velocity was by no means electrical — would get caught from behind by quicker defenders within the ACC.
• Did not see him run quite a lot of routes and may be greatest as a flare/display/dumpoff possibility within the passing sport.
• Keen to work in cross safety however wasn’t good at it. At greatest he was inconsistent and at worst he received fully overpowered by linebackers.
• Had practically 25% of his complete 2020 speeding manufacturing in remaining sport at Miami.
• Did not miss a sport in 2019 or 2020, however a damaged wrist value him two video games in 2018 and a torn proper PCL and LCL in 2015 compelled him from practically all of his junior yr of highschool.
• Some could take into account it a crimson flag that he sat out of the Orange Bowl, his final school sport. 

Stats breakdown

Superior stats to know

(all from 2020)*

• 3.46 yards earlier than contact per rush, sixth-best in nation
• 4.47 yards after contact per rush, 14th-best in nation
• 47 missed tackles compelled, fifth-best in nation
• 29 carries of 15-plus yards, greatest in nation
• Small pattern dimension, however Carter transformed 90% of his carries on downs of three yards or fewer (9 of 10). It was the third-best mark within the nation.
• Performed 4 video games final yr with underneath 15 touches, three with 20-plus touches

NFL comparability

Lots of names got here to thoughts when watching Carter — Brian Westbrook, Garrison Hearst and Austin Ekeler, to call three. However Carter’s thick legs and bodily methods introduced again some critical Devonta Freeman vibes. Freeman entered the NFL as a part-time working again after which emerged as a full-timer who grew to become an excellent Fantasy asset. That is the best-case state of affairs for Carter, who is sort of sure to be considered as a part-time working again to start his profession with zero ensures he’ll ever change into greater than that.