Detroit Lions predictive seven round mock draft
By Ash Thompson
Round Two: Lorenzo Carter, Edge defender, Georgia
Lorenzo Carter is one of the most intriguing athletes in the draft. He often draws comparisons to Ziggy Ansah from draft commentators. Of all of these picks, this is the one I am least sure will be available when the Detroit Lions make their selection. He is also the most likely pick I am making to go three rounds later than I have him.
This is a weak draft class for edge defenders, particularly those with the size and athleticism to play a standard 4-3 defensive end role. Carter will have to pack on some weight to do that. He is 6’5″ and 250 lbs. Those numbers are far from ideal for a hand in the dirt defensive end. He could develop either that way or as a linebacker/edge hybrid in the mold of Terrell Suggs.
At the combine, he ran a 4.50 40 yard dash, put up a 36″ vertical and 130″ broad jump. A slight drop in athleticism with 15-20 lbs of muscle added over a couple years would not limit his effectiveness as a player. Particularly in the legs, Carter will need to get stronger.
On the field though, Carter has shown the requisite skill set. He sets the edge against the run effectively and uses his length to keep offensive linemen from latching on to him. He is almost always able to disengage immediately to one side or the other after the running back makes his cut. It is athletic, not powerful, linemen that give him troubles. If an opponent is able to mirror Carter’s lateral movement, that becomes a problem.
There is a lot of talk about Carter as a Jamie Collins type, but the truth of this player is that he is not particularly good off the ball. His feet do not die at the top of zone drops like many poor coverage players, but he is slow to react. He relies entirely on his length and athleticism to be an effective coverage player.
With a year in an NFL strength and conditioning program, Lorenzo Carter could be poised to take the league by storm as a sophomore pro. He is most likely to do that as a dedicated edge player. The more a team puts on his plate as a rookie, the longer it is going to take.