2025 NFL Draft prospect profile – Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson

The 2025 NFL Draft is a deep and proficient one on the defensive facet of the ball. There’s an amazing variety of defensive linemen and edge defenders that will likely be drafted within the Prime-100.

There hasn’t been a lot dialog concerning the linebackers within the draft, however groups might be viewing linebackers more and more necessary items. Defenses have been pressured to play extra two-high protection shells to account for explosive passing video games, however that’s opened the door for a resurgence in operating the ball. Groups want linebackers who can diagnose the run, come downhill to fill gaps, and in addition cowl the hook/curl space and short-to-intermediate zones.

Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter may not have supreme dimension, however he’s been a really constant and three-down participant for the Tigers.

The New York Giants have gotten some superb linebacker play during the last two years, and Micah McFadden had a breakout season in 2024. Nonetheless, McFadden is getting into the ultimate 12 months of his rookie contract this 12 months, so might Carter be an eventual substitute?

Prospect: Barrett Carter (0)Video games Watched: vs. Georgia (2024), vs. Louisville (2024), vs. South Carolina (2024)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte | RAS.soccer

Strengths

Finest traits

Instincts
Processing
Quick space quickness
Aggressive toughness

Barrett Carter is a great, instinctive, and remarkably constant weakside linebacker.

Carter has been a constant presence on the Clemson protection and has been productive since turning into a starter in 2022. He’s produced in any respect ranges of the protection and is a succesful run defender, blitzer, and zone defender.

Carter is a really savvy linebacker with nice instincts and a excessive soccer IQ. He’s a pacesetter on the protection and really lively within the pre-snap part. Carter is a continuing communicator and helps get his teammates lined up. He persistently takes an correct first transfer on the snap, anticipating the stream of the play and positioning himself effectively. He additionally processes the offense shortly, precisely diagnosing the play and committing to his plan of action.

He understands learn how to assault and fill gaps, in addition to leverage the ball again to his teammates.

He isn’t an elite athlete, however has stable preliminary quickness in addition to a shocking closing burst. That enables him to be efficient briefly zones, in addition to disruptive when he meets ball carriers.

Weaknesses

Worst traits

Dimension
Play energy
Lengthy velocity

At 6-foot, 230 kilos, Carter might be seen as “undersized” by NFL groups.

That might be significantly true with the resurgence of the operating recreation being fostered by two-deep security shells. Like many school offenses, NFL offenses wish to larger operating backs to assault defenses which might be pressured to unfold out passing recreation ideas. Carter will likely be requested to tackle many runners who’re nearly as huge as he’s, and groups might be apprehensive that he’ll wrestle in that regard.

Carter additionally lacks the elite athleticism we frequently see from undersized linebackers. He isn’t a foul athlete by any means, however he has some hip tightness and lacks nice lengthy velocity. So whereas he’s fast and comparatively agile when sorting via trash across the line of scrimmage, he isn’t a rangy linebacker. Likewise, he shouldn’t be requested to play man protection with many ability place gamers. He can wrestle to stick with them in tight protection, and lacks the velocity to run with athletic go catchers down the sector.

Recreation Tape

(Carter is the Clemson linebacker sporting quantity 0 and a sleeve on his proper arm.)

Projection

Barrett Carter tasks as a rotational linebacker on the NFL degree, although he might win a beginning job in the suitable state of affairs.

He largely performed weakside linebacker within the tape seen, and whereas he’s efficient taking pictures gaps and in pursuit groups might have considerations concerning his means to stack and shed blockers within the run recreation. That might cause them to viewing him as a reserve or nickel linebacker. That mentioned, groups that use defensive linemen to manage blockers whereas their linebackers stream to the ball might envision an even bigger position for Carter.

His soccer IQ and communication might permit him to be a starter within the NFL, although he’ll have to show that he could be a three-down participant if he’s going to put on the inexperienced dot. Even when that doesn’t occur, he might nonetheless be seen as the subsequent man up if a defensive play caller goes down.

Does he match the Giants?Presumably, relying on their notion of depth on the place.

Remaining Phrase: A later Day 2 or Day 3 decide