Lorenzo Carter (American football)

Lorenzo Carter

Carter in 2022
No. 0 – Atlanta Falcons
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1995-12-10) December 10, 1995 (age 28) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	252 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High school:	Norcross (Norcross, Georgia)
College:	Georgia (2014–2017)
NFL draft:	2018  / Round: 3 / Pick: 66
Career history
New York Giants (2018–2021) Atlanta Falcons (2022–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-SEC (2017)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles: 246 Sacks: 21.5 Forced fumbles: 4 Fumble recoveries: 4 Pass deflections: 18 Interceptions: 2 Touchdowns: 2
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Lorenzo Lemuel Carter (born December 10, 1995) is an American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, and was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.

Early years

Carter attended and played high school football at Norcross High School. ^[1] He was named to the USA Today All-USA High School Football Team after his senior year in 2013. ^[2] A 4-star defensive end recruit, Carter committed to Georgia to play college football over offers from Alabama, Florida, LSU, and Notre Dame, among many others. ^[3]

College career

Carter attended and played college football at Georgia under head coaches Mark Richt and Kirby Smart. ^{[4] [5]} As a true freshman at Georgia, Carter played 13 games making 5 starts, and received the University of Georgia newcomer of the year award. ^[6] After the 2016 season, Carter announced that he would return to school for his senior season, despite speculation that he might declare for the 2017 NFL Draft. ^{[7] [8]} Carter played in 54 games with 26 starts in his career at Georgia, recording 166 total tackles, 14 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown. He was named Second Team All-Southeastern Conference as a senior in 2017. ^{[9] [10]}

Professional career

Pre-draft

Carter attended the NFL Scouting Combine and completed the majority of drills, but opted to skip the bench press, short shuttle, and three-cone drill. Carter was a top performer among all of the edge rushers, finishing first in the broad jump, second in the 40-yard dash, and third among his position group in the vertical jump. ^[11] On March 21, 2018, Carter participated at Georgia's pro day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills. He attended pre-draft visits and private workouts with the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings. ^{[12] [13] [14]} At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Carter was projected to be a second round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the second best outside linebacker by DraftScout.com and was ranked the fifth best defensive end by Scouts Inc. ^{[15] [16]}

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	Vertical jump	Broad jump
6 ft 4+7⁄8 in (1.95 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	34 in (0.86 m)	10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m)	4.50 s	1.59 s	2.60 s	36 in (0.91 m)	10 ft 10 in (3.30 m)
All values from NFL Combine [17] [18]

New York Giants

The New York Giants selected Carter in the third round (66th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. ^[19] Carter was the eighth linebacker drafted in 2018. ^[20]

On May 10, 2018, the Giants signed Carter to a four-year, $4.08 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $1.04 million. ^[21] In Week 3, against the Houston Texans, Carter recorded his first professional sack. ^[22]

Carter in a game against the Washington Redskins in 2019.

In week 6 of the 2019 season against the New England Patriots, Carter forced a fumble on Tom Brady which was recovered by teammate Markus Golden who returned it for a touchdown in the 35–14 loss. ^[23] He finished the season second on the team with 4.5 sacks.

Carter entered the 2020 season as one of the Giants starting pass rushers. In Week 5, he suffered a ruptured Achilles and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on October 19. ^{[24] [25]}

On Week 5 of the 2021 NFL season against the Dallas Cowboys Carter got his first career interception from Dak Prescott. ^[26]

Atlanta Falcons

Carter signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons on March 22, 2022, worth up to $3.5 million with $2 million guaranteed. ^{[27] [28]} In Week 2, against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, Falcons linebacker Troy Andersen blocked a punt, allowing Carter to pick up the loose ball and run it back to the endzone for a special teams touchdown in the 31–27 loss. In Week 8, against the Carolina Panthers, Carter recorded a pick-six off Panthers quarterback P. J. Walker in the 37–34 win. Overall, Carter started all 17 games for the Falcons in the 2022 season, recording 58 total tackles, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, and a defensive touchdown. ^[29]

On March 7, 2023, Carter re-signed with the Falcons on a two-year contract worth up to $9 million, with $5.25 million guaranteed. ^{[30] [31]} He played in all 17 games with one start during the 2023 season and recorded 35 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, a career high 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 pass deflection.

References

1. "Norcross grad Lorenzo Carter scorches 40-yard dash at NFL Combine". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
2. "Lorenzo Carter". USA TODAY High School Sports. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
3. "Lorenzo Carter, 2014 Weakside Defensive End, Georgia". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
4. "Lorenzo Carter thought hard about being a two-sport athlete". Macon.com. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
5. Traina, Patricia. "Lorenzo Carter's Choices Have Earned Him A Job With The Giants, And Improved Others' Lives, Too". Forbes. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
6. "UGA Football Team Honored at Annual Gala". Georgiadogs.com. December 12, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
7. Butt, Jason (December 16, 2016). "Carter in no rush to leave for NFL". Macon Telegraph. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
8. Emerson, Seth. "Lorenzo Carter will keep 'having fun' playing at Georgia another year". dawgnation.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
9. "Lorenzo Carter College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
10. "Lorenzo Carter - 2017 - Football". University of Georgia Athletics. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
11. "2018 NFL Scouting Combine: Top Performers". NFL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
12. Payne, Scott (April 16, 2018). "Report: Broncos had a pre-draft visit with Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter". milehighreport.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
13. Schiller, Joe (April 4, 2018). "REPORT: Georgia LB Lorenzo Carter Among Prospects Vikings Hosting for Visit". 12up.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
14. Fucillo, David (April 5, 2018). "Report: 49ers hosting Denzel Ward, Lorenzo Carter for official pre-draft-visits on Thursday". ninersnation.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
15. "Lorenzo Carter, DS #5 OLB, Georgia". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
16. "NFL Lorenzo Carter -ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
17. "Lorenzo Carter Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
18. "2018 NFL Draft Scout Lorenzo Carter College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
19. "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
20. Salomone, Dan (April 27, 2018). "Giants draft Georgia LB Lorenzo Carter 66th overall". Giants.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
21. "Spotrac.com: Lorenzo Carter contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
22. "Total team effort leads to 27-22 win over Texans". New York Giants. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
23. "Patriots force 4 turnovers, beat Giants 35-14 to reach 6-0". www.espn.com. October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
24. Alper, Josh (October 12, 2020). "Lorenzo Carter ruptured Achilles on Sunday". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
25. Eisen, Michael (October 19, 2020). "Giants place LB Lorenzo Carter on injured reserve". Giants.com. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
26. "Lorenzo Carter picks off Dak Prescott Giants vs. Cowboys Highlights". October 10, 2021.
27. McElhaney, Tori (March 22, 2022). "Falcons sign OLB Lorenzo Carter on one-year deal". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
28. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/lorenzo-carter-25165/#:~:text=2022%2D2022,average%20annual%20salary%20of%20%243%2C500%2C000.
29. https://www.wjcl.com/amp/article/falcons-re-sign-edge-rusher-lorenzo-carter/43241881
30. Edmunds, Ashton (March 7, 2023). "Falcons re-sign edge rusher Lorenzo Carter to a two-year deal". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
31. https://thefalconswire.usatoday.com/2023/03/09/falcons-lorenzo-carter-contract-details/

External links

• Atlanta Falcons bio
• Georgia Bulldogs bio
• College stats at Sports Reference