Why Undrafted?: Sam Carter, S, TCU
By Charlie Campbell, @draftcampbell
Over the past few years, one of the top defensive backs in the Big XII was TCU safety Sam Carter. He was a steady and consistent play-maker for the Horned Frogs. Carter was part of an impressive defense that combined with a potent offense to lead TCU to a huge 2014 season where the program almost made the college football playoff. The senior notched 55 tackles with five passes broken up and four interceptions on the year. It was his second-straight season with five picks, and he had 63 tackles and four sacks in 2013. Despite the consistent production for TCU, Carter wasn’t selected in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Sources say there was one reason why Carter went undrafted: was speed concerns. Teams said that they liked Carter on and off the field. They thought he was a good player, but could be short on speed for the NFL. At the Combine, Carter ran a 4.65-second time in the 40-yard dash that had teams worried if he possessed the speed to run with NFL receivers downfield.
After going undrafted, Carter signed with the Chicago Bears. That was a great choice by Carter and his agent. The Bears have a huge need at safety and only used a late-round pick on the position in the form of Adrian Amos. Chicago also has a new coaching staff and front office that isn’t married to any holdovers from the previous regime. Neither Antrel Rolle nor Ryan Mundy are long-term starters either. Thus, Carter should get a fair shot at one or two roster spots competing with Brock Vereen and Anthony Jefferson. While there were speed concerns with Carter, plenty of players have overcome that in past years, and he could easily do the same.
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