Michael Carter

Carter is a textbook example of why athletic tools matter for running backs, even if they are skilled runners. Carter was a star at North Carolina, where he started ahead of Javonte Williams, but the NFL is bigger and faster than the ACC, and Carter's polished skill set wilted last season in the face of superior athleticism. Breece Hall suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 7, but Carter couldn't take advantage, averaging 3.6 yards per carry in nine games (five starts) as he was also limited by a late-season ankle injury. Carter is likely no more than a third-down back in the NFL because he has only 4.55 speed on a 5-foot-8, 201-pound frame. And while Carter is a good rotational back, especially in passing down and hurry-up situations, Hall is both the team's best runner and most dangerous receiver out of the backfield. Not only that, but the Jets signed Dalvin Cook in August, bumping Carter to third string. With Cook on board, Hall's return to full strength might leave Carter without much on his plate.

Carter had some mild preseason buzz as a fourth-round pick out of UNC last year, in part because there was weak competition for touches in the Jets backfield. While his final numbers on the season weren't too exciting, Carter did have three games with 100-plus total yards, including 172 and a TD against the Bengals in Week 8. A November ankle injury cost Carter three and a half games, and ultimately prevented him from topping 1,000 scrimmage yards on the season despite a 100-yard rushing game against the Jaguars in Week 16. A little undersized for a feature back at 5-8, 200, Carter has the receiving skills to hold up that end of the scatback stereotype, but he also offers some power and elusiveness to make an impact on the ground. Unfortunately for him, the Jets landed Breece Hall in the second round of this year's draft, and the Iowa State product figures to immediately step in as the lead runner. Carter could still provide some value on passing downs and as a backup, but he's a lot less appealing with Hall in the picture.

Carter split the backfield workload at North Carolina almost equally with Javonte Williams last year and gained more yards, but it was the bigger, more physical Williams who got popped early in the second round by the Broncos, while Carter landed with the Jets in the fourth. That might not be the worst thing for his chances of making a splash as a rookie, though. While Williams has Melvin Gordon to compete with for touches, Carter has only Tevin Coleman, La'Mical Perine and Ty Johnson standing between himself and a regular role. Carter's short stature and natural pass-catching skills, as well as his solid showing as a pass protector, mark him as a receiving back in the NFL, but he also has the potential to become more than that. In college, he flashed some power and a willingness to lower his shoulder, though he mostly relied on elusiveness and nimble feet in traffic to create open space. If there's a template for Carter to follow and reach his ceiling, it's Austin Ekeler, though it took Ekeler a couple years to prove he could handle a lead role to the Chargers' satisfaction (and push Gordon aside in the process). Given the state of the Jets' backfield, they may be willing to throw Carter into the fire a little more quickly if he looks the part.