Michael
Carter.
Michael
Carter.
North Carolina· 5'7"· 201 lb· 4.50s 40
"A 5'8"/201 North Carolina back who split a historic 2020 backfield with Javonte Williams (1,245 yards, 8.0 YPC) — a Round-4 change-of-pace projection where the vision and short-area burst outran real questions about size and every-down volume."Pre-draft read
Michael Carter is a compact, one-cut zone runner. He identifies his aiming point, gets north quickly, and presses the line of scrimmage effectively. He sets up second-level defenders with a subtle shoulder tilt and defeats angles with functional speed and above-average lateral agility. Carter runs behind his pads for his size, finishing runs with a hard forward lean. While not a tackle-breaker between the tackles, his best trait is his receiving-back utility.
He demonstrates soft hands, natural route feel, and comfort against linebackers in the flat or on option routes. In pass protection, he understands leverage and engages blitzers with proper technique.
The ideal fit is a Shanahan outside zone or wide zone rushing attack, prioritizing one-cut runners who can read flow and exploit creases.
Rotational third-down back who can immediately contribute on passing downs and eventually grow into a 1B back in a committee.
Gap/duo power run schemes focused on running through tackles, where his lack of size and tackle-breaking ability would be liabilities.
A highly efficient rotational back whose burst and receiving skills are scheme-transcendent, but his contact balance and size limit his projection to an every-down role.
North Carolina RB Michael Carter 2020 Highlights
Full 2020 UNC senior-year cutup — every-carry look at vision, burst and receiving-back reps.
Michael Carter Tops 300 Yards Rushing Against Miami
308-yard, two-TD game vs. Miami in 2020 — the signature outing on his pre-draft résumé.
Michael Carter & Javonte Williams Dynamic vs. Virginia Tech
UNC tandem backfield on display against Virginia Tech — Carter zone patience next to Williams contact balance.
Michael Carter projects as a valuable rotational back, primarily due to his vision, burst, and significant receiving upside. Teams acquire a player who efficiently reads gap integrity and, despite his smaller stature and 6.81 three-cone, demonstrates real second-level acceleration and quick footwork. The immediate value is as a third-down and change-of-pace option, providing reliable hands as a pass-catcher, and a willing blocker.
His usage at North Carolina was a key part of his evaluation; while he produced 1,245 yards at 8.0 yards per carry in 2020, he shared the backfield with a first-round talent, indicating a split workload that was effective. His role highlighted his ability to bend zone plays and find alleys on single cuts, but did not require him to operate as a primary between-the-tackles grinder. His 82 career receptions underscored his legitimate dual-threat profile, which evaluators valued highly.
Concerns regarding his size (5'8", 201 pounds) and history of shared carries meant he was not projected as a bell-cow back, but rather a Day 2/early Day 3 prospect. Evaluators saw a clear role for him, leveraging his production and movement traits, leading to him being drafted in the fourth round, 107th overall, where his receiving ability was seen as a strong complement to an evolving NFL offense.
- 01
Vision & tempo
Reads gap integrity as it happens, presses the line and hits the correct crease without hesitation, bending a zone play back against the flow and finding the alley on a single cut.
- 02
Short-area quickness
His 6.81 three-cone and 3.98 shuttle translate to tape through subtle jump-cuts inside the tackle box and quick foot-fire through contact.
- 03
Receiving skill set
82 college receptions with natural hands away from the frame; comfortable on angle routes, flat releases, and wheel concepts, giving him legitimate three-down value.
- 04
Long speed for the frame
His 4.50 forty and 119-inch broad translated to real second-level burst, with multiple 40-plus-yard runs where he pulled away from angle pursuit.
- 05
Pass-protection understanding
Willing and technically sound cut-blocker, sets his feet, keeps his eyes on the near-side edge, and understands slide protection rules better than most backs.
- 01
Size & contact volume
A true 5-foot-8, 201 pounds with sub-32-inch arms; there is limited tape of him grinding out three yards on second-and-two against loaded boxes.
- 02
Not a tackle-breaker
2020 tape showed plenty of first-contact tackles converting into finishes; his broken-tackle rate lagged behind his backfield mate despite similar carry volume.
- 03
Workload questions
Never carried a full-time ACC bell-cow load; the 156-carry 2020 season represents the ceiling of his college volume.
- 04
Pad level in tight quarters
Runs a bit tall through the A-gap for his height, which invites shots to the chest limiting the yards-after-contact profile on inside zone concepts.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.50sp50
- Vertical
- 34inp50
- Broad jump
- 119inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.81sp50
- Shuttle
- 3.98sp50
- Bench
- 16repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | North Carolina | 11 | 97 | 558 | 8 | 11 | 100 |
| 2018 | North Carolina | 9 | 84 | 597 | 2 | 25 | 135 |
| 2019 | North Carolina | 13 | 177 | 1003 | 3 | 21 | 154 |
| 2020 | North Carolina | 11 | 156 | 1245 | 9 | 25 | 267 |
| Career | — | 44 | 514 | 3403 | 22 | 82 | 656 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Change-of-pace back with real long speed and receiving value, capable of a 900-yard year in the right split but never the featured piece.
The receiving-back ceiling scouts whispered about: undersized RB who wins on vision, hands and route feel. Reached only in flashes.
Third-down and passing-down specialist role — real NFL job, roughly 500-scrimmage-yard ceiling, no every-down volume.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Año 1 (2021) fue el pico: 639 yds rush + 325 recibiendo como back lead tras lesión de Michael Carter II... hasta que Breece Hall llegó en 2022. Relegado a RB2 y luego RB3. Traspasado a ARI mid-2023, cortado tras 2024. Firmó reserve/futures con WAS en 2025 sin garantías. Carrera meteórica en descenso.
**Pre-draft context.** Michael Carter arrived at North Carolina as a three-star recruit from Navarre, Florida and grew into the centerpiece of the revived Tar Heels offense. His 2020 season is the résumé line evaluators kept coming back to: 1,245 rushing yards on just 156 carries, 8.0 yards per carry, nine touchdowns, and a workload split with future second-round pick Javonte Williams. Carter finished his UNC career with 3,404 rushing yards and 21 rushing scores, plus 82 receptions, showcasing the dual-threat profile the modern NFL wanted. At his March pro day he measured 5'8", 201 pounds and ran a 4.50 forty with a 34-inch vertical, a 119-inch broad, a 6.81 three-cone and a 3.98 shuttle — a 9.17 RAS that quieted the "just a small back" concern. Consensus boards had him graded in the Day 2/early Day 3 range as a rotational scat-back with returner value.
**NFL fit — New York Jets.** The team selected Carter at 107 to pair with a young Zach Wilson offense, betting on the receiving-back component and the third-down projection. He hit early: 639 rushing yards, 325 receiving yards and five total touchdowns as a rookie behind an unstable line, plus a 172-yard game against Houston that hinted at a bigger role. Then the Jets drafted Breece Hall in 2022 and Carter's ceiling reset to complementary. When Hall tore his ACL that October, Carter got the reins but the production stalled — 4.0 YPC on limited creases — and by 2023 he was a rotational piece behind Hall and Dalvin Cook.
**Retrospective.** The Jets waived Carter in October 2023 and Arizona claimed him off waivers, using him as a rotational back and gadget piece in 2024–2025 behind James Conner and Trey Benson. Viewed as a Day 3 pick, 107 was a reasonable outcome: a productive rookie year, real receiving value, and a persistent NFL job — but not the every-down back the counting stats sometimes suggested he could become.