NFL Draft
2/6/25
5 min read
Barrett Carter 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Clemson Tigers LB
Height: 6010 (unofficial)
Weight: 230lbs (unofficial)
Year: Senior
Pro Comparison: Malik Jefferson
Scouting Overview
Clemson Tigers linebacker Barrett Carter is an explosive talent with developmental upside to the NFL level. At times, he’s been used as a hybrid defender, which is a testament to his athletic ability, but he will need to settle into a stack linebacker role at the NFL level to maximize his potential.
Carter has all the tools to be an impactful coverage linebacker. He should be given ample opportunity to develop into a more consistent run processor, but his block-deconstruction skills are a major hurdle that he’ll need to clear if he’s going to assume an every-down starting role for an NFL franchise.
2025 NFL Combine Results
| Position | Name | School | 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Split | Broad Jump | Vertical Jump | 3-Cone Drill | 20-Yard Shuttle | Bench Press |
| LB | Barrett Carter | Clemson | 116 | 34.5 | 4.41 |
Positives
- Plus athlete in space with dynamic range for both man-to-man and zone coverage opportunities
- Offers potent pop through pads and good hitting power to negate ball carrier momentum
- Offers alignment versatility to assimilate to a role as a stack backer, playing out on the hash or walked up on the line of scrimmage
Negatives
- Can be inconsistent with reading keys and fitting runs as a traditional off-ball player
- Has struggled with negotiating blocks and deconstructing hands on his frame
- Coverage impact has regressed during the past two seasons
Background
Carter is from Suwanee, GA, and played high school football for North Gwinnett HS. There, he was a standout two-way talent who was granted a 5-star rating (247 Sports). Carter was named the Defensive National High School Player of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club and was selected to play in the All-American Bowl. He committed to Clemson over offers from Georgia, Auburn, and Ohio State — with former defensive coordinator Brent Venables playing a key role in his recruitment to the program.
Carter played in eight games as a true freshman and assumed a starting role by his sophomore season in 2022. Carter logged 40 total starts for the program and became a two-time All-American selection. He was named Second-Team All-ACC in 2023 and First-Team All-ACC in 2024.
Tale Of The Tape
Carter is a well-accomplished athlete who has played a starring role on the Tigers' defense for the past three seasons. He’s been used in various ways, including rushing the passer upward of 100 times in a season and serving as a nickel/linebacker hybrid defender in the 2022 season, Carter’s first as a starter with the program.
He has transitioned into a more traditional stack linebacker during the course of the past two years, culminating in his senior season with more than 600 snaps taken as a stack defender in the box.
Carter is at his best as a reactive athlete. When he can scrape and flow cleanly sideline to sideline and chase the ball, you get a good sense and feel for how explosive his range can be and how much of a striker he can be as a hitter. Carter does well to bring momentum into his ball-carrier challenges and create big sticks.
When Carter is asked to key from the second level as a MIKE, he’s not quite as confident, and his dynamic athleticism doesn’t show up in the same ways. There are missed opportunities to shoot gaps and greet ball carriers on the other side of the line of scrimmage, and there are other times when misdirection or false keys can bait Carter out of his valuable real estate.
These issues arose at times on the end of the line of scrimmage as well, as Carter missed some opportunities to crash down and instead waited to accept pullers or split/flow action and be kicked out for runs to hit inside of his positioning.
Carter has all the needed range, speed, and athleticism to be a successful coverage player in any scheme at the NFL level. He’s got great turn-and-run ability to carry speed at No. 3 or plaster to the back out of the backfield. His ball production has come in recent years largely in pressure opportunities to get his hands up in throwing windows and bat passes down at the line of scrimmage — this despite 10 passes defensed (two interceptions) as a sophomore.
Carter’s biggest barrier to success in the NFL will be how he handles traffic. He struggles when dealing with offensive linemen climbing into his lap and does not consistently showcase his ability to punch and stack blocks before feeling and fighting pressure. Carter is too prone to getting swallowed by blocks and completely lacks the presence needed to keep his leverage and fit alive after contact.
As is, Carter has two primary pathways to success as an NFL defender: first is as a WILL linebacker allowed to simply run and chase the ball. The other is as a coverage specialist early on, where the Clemson defense has groomed him well for a mix of zone and man coverage responsibilities and assignments.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Carter projects best as a WILL linebacker at the NFL level. He’s at his best as a pure athlete and pursuit player to the football and offers the striking power and range of an NFL starter.
He would benefit from playing behind a sound and well-developed defensive front. He should be considered a developmental starter.
Grade: 72.50/100.00, Fourth Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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