Lorenzo Carter might just join fellow ex-Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Carter, who set an NFL combine record with his 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump in February, has impressed analysts with his athletic ability. But teams are looking for more than just impressive “measurables” during the pre-draft process.
“He’s a little bit of a challenging evaluation,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said in a conference call Wednesday. “I think right now, at this point in time, he’s a better athlete than just a pure football player. When you talk about somebody that’s 6-5, 250 pounds that runs a high 4.4, low 4.5, and watch the Notre Dame game, especially. It’s easy to see what he can become.”
Jeremiah said he lists Carter as a second-round prospect, No. 48 overall on the board. The problem with Carter, he said, is “consistency.” He added, though, that Carter might just make a surprising jump on April 26, thanks to a relatively weak position group.
“It wouldn’t shock me if he snuck into the bottom of [Round] 1,” Jeremiah said, “just because we talked about the edge-rusher group not being all that great.”
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Carter will perhaps be best remembered for his double-overtime field-goal block against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl. The play kept the score knotted 48-48 and allowed Georgia some freedom on the offense. Running back Sony Michel raced into the end zone on the second play of the Bulldogs’ possession to seal the win.
Over the course of his Bulldogs career, Carter started 26 games and earned numerous team awards. His athleticism made him a potential early entrant in the 2017 NFL Draft, but he decided to return in ’18 for another shot at the national championship.
The Bulldogs came close — closer than any Georgia team since 1980 — but fell short in overtime against Alabama in the National Championship Game.
“It made us work even harder, especially the guys that are still here at Georgia,” Carter said of the game’s shocking final play. “I got a chance to go back and stop by a couple days before I came up here. And seeing those guys work let me know that they’re hungry. They’re ready to get back.”
Where will Lorenzo Carter go in the NFL draft later this month? Let us know in the comments section below.
