By J.T.
Photo Credit- Clemson Athletics
At Draft 412, the NFL draft talk never ends. We will keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars—from today and all the way until draft night 2024. We will bring you mock drafts, player profiles, individual team needs, and everything else you may need related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - Clemson, Linebacker, Barrett Carter
Name- Barrett Carter
Pos- Linebacker
Team- Clemson
HT/WT- 6’1” 225 lbs
Born- 10/23/2002
Home – Suwanee, GA
Barrett Carter had an amazing high school career that saw him play both linebacker and running back at North Gwinnett High School in Georgia. He finished his career with 162 tackles of which 116 were solos, and 18 sacks. During his senior season he ran for 197 yards on 17 carries, with 8 tackles, 3 sacks and a fumble recovery during a state playoff game. He was selected to play in the All-American Bowl and chose Clemson on May 19, 2020. He was a five-star rated athlete and the #17 overall player by 247Sports.
His freshman season of 2021 saw Carter start one game and play 12 games total. He finished the season with 26 tackles, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery he returned for a 3-yard touchdown.
During 2022 Carter started in all 13 games and had a stellar season which ended with him being named first-team All-ACC. His 77 tackles were tied for the third on the team and he also added 5.5 sacks, 8-pass breakups, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles. He enters the 2023 season as a Draft 412 preseason 2nd team All-American.
Barrett Carter has the athleticism to play all over the field, and can chase down the ball carrier on the back end. He cover’s a lot of ground in coverage and he plays the linebacker position like a defensive back with his skillset. He has an exploding first step and uses his long arms, and violent hands to maneuver through the line of scrimmage.
He uses his speed and quickness to attack gaps and is a pure pass rusher who can constantly put pressure on the quarterback. Besides using just his speed and maneuverability, he understands angles and always seems to be around the ball. He projects as a 3-down linebacker who has the skill level to succeed on all three levels of defense.
It will be beneficial for Carter to add weight and muscle to succeed long term as a professional. He has problems at times with his tackling mechanics and will drag and drop running backs, and this may be a problem at the NFL level. He overplays play action and relies on his speed to make up the difference, which may not be as easy to do at the next level.
Barrett Carter is an athletic linebacker who plays a tad bit small but has been very effective at making plays at the collegiate level. Dre Greenlaw who played at Arkansas and was drafted in the 5th round by the San Francisco 49ers had basically the same scouting profile as Carter. Greenlaw has gained some weight and has improved his play, and Draft 412 sees Carter following a similar path.
Strengths
Burst
Pursuit
Athleticism
Coverage
Angles
Weaknesses
Size
Overplaying fakes
Strength
Tackling mechanics
Final Analysis
Carter and his teammate Jeremiah Trotter Jr. are going to be at the top of the linebacker rankings for 2024. Carter’s athleticism and playmaking abilities will be hard to pass up for NFL GM’s. With a projection of weight gain, he has the potential to be a pro-bowl type player.
Draft 412 DRAFT PROJECTION - 3rd or 4th round