Barrett Carter Scouting Report
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Ken Ruinard/USA Today Sports)
School: Clemson
Class: Senior
Position: LB
HT: 6’0
WT: 231 lbs
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Background: Barrett Carter was one of the best prospects in the class of 2021. He was given a 5-star rating and the title of the best linebacker in the country. Carter is from Suwanee, Georgia and went to North Gwinnett High School. At North Gwinnett, Carter played both running back and linebacker. He led his team to the state playoffs in every season. In a 2020 playoff game, he had 197 rushing yards and 3 sacks. Clemson stole Barrett Carter from SEC territory as he chose the Clemson Tigers over Georgia, Alabama, and Auburn.
College: In his first two seasons at Clemson, Carter has been nothing short of impressive. As a freshman, he was used sparingly but was also selected as an ACC Honor Roll selection. In his sophomore campaign, he was named a Fourth Team All-American honoree by Phil Steele. He had 10.5 tackles for loss with 5.5 sacks to go with it. In 2023, Carter was named a Second Team All-ACC member after posting 67 tackles, 9.5 being for a loss, and 3.5 sacks. 2024 saw Carter blossom. He was a Butkus Award finalist for the nation’s top LB. Carter managed to get 9 PBUs, 3.5 sacks, and 10.5 TFLs in his final season at Clemson. He became a disruptor as a guy who was originally expected to transition to safety, has stayed at linebacker and excelled. Effective in coverage. Moves fast downhill into the backfield. Makes up for lack of size with elite athleticism.
Strengths: Barrett Carter is an elite coverage linebacker. He has the speed and fluid athleticism to stay in stride with tight ends and running backs in man coverage. He can get from one sideline to the other with long strides and explosive burst. In zone coverage, Carter does well to take away passing lanes in the middle of the field by using his length in between the hashmarks. He has a good feel for what is going on behind him in the deep areas of the field. This allows him to either sink back into coverage or creep closer towards the short areas of the field. As a run defender, Carter is decisive with his trigger and can explode into the backfield in a hurry. He is smart in reading which gaps need to be filled and shooting them to make a tackle. He does a decent job of shedding blocks to muddy the pocket. He uses that speed and rangy ability to get after even the most mobile quarterbacks.
Weaknesses: The biggest downfall to Carter’s status is his lack of size. He is far smaller than most linebackers and he will need to play bigger than his size in order to see any type of success. While he can shed blocks, if an offensive lineman gets a grip under Carter’s pads, he struggles to break free and can be swallowed up in the phone booth. Carter gets a bit greedy as a run defender. He is so eager to shoot gaps or make a lay off the edge that he can work too far up field and past the ball carrier.
Conclusion: Barrett Carter is a smaller linebacker who has elite coverage abilities in both man and zone. There is not a real path to him gaining significant size, but he can rely on those coverage instincts to make a nice role for himself. He should not be counted on to consistently get after the quarterback off the edge.
Scheme Fit: Base 4-3
Ideal Role: Coverage LB
Best Team Fits: MIA, CAR, NE
Player Comparison: Trenton Simpson Jr.
Player Grade: Round 3 (75.6)
