Ron'Dell Carter has been blessed, and the James Madison defensive lineman admits it. But it would appear the blessing "well" won't be drying up anytime soon. In fact, this weekend, he and several of his 2019 Dukes teammates appear to have a shot to be signed to at the very least free agent contracts in the NFL.
Carter may end up leading that pack, being listed by the site DraftScout as a potential 6th-to-7th round pick at the highest, and no lower than a high priority free agent — which essentially means he'll get a full camp shot to make a final roster. Even with no Pro Day (thanks to COVID19), the "unofficial spokesman" of JMU football worked himself into this position. He could be one of a pack of FCS products to get that shot.
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[divider]NFL Draft Feature Stories:
Derrek Tuszka, NDSU | Adam Trautman, Dayton | Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois
Bryce Sterk, Montana St. | Christian Rozeboom, SDSU | Jonah Williams, Weber St.
J.J. Koski, Cal Poly | Bronson Rechsteiner, Kennesaw | Pete Guerriero, Monmouth
Ron'Dell Carter, JMU | Nick Tiano, Chattanooga | Cam Gill, Wagner
Riley Stapleton, JMU | Kevin Davidson, Princeton
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As always, Carter's handling it all with a smile and an upbeat spirit. Anybody who knows him realizes there is no other way with this guy.
"For me, it's all positive right now," Carter told HERO Sports this week. "There have been a lot of good teams that have reached out and FaceTimed and I've done Zoom with them all. I just wish I'd been able to have a Pro Day, I think that would have solidified a lot. There would be no questions about Ron'Dell Carter, like can I drop back into coverage. There would be no questions, and that's what I was looking forward to the most."
Carter's story is a bit different than many of his FCS brethren. He was a three-star prospect coming out of high school, and he signed with the Big Ten's Rutgers. He also held a scholarship offer from Boston College and held six FBS offers total. He redshirted at Rutgers in 2015 and then played in five games in 2016, including what he called "garbage time" against Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan and Maryland.
He even has a photo of him tackling then Ohio State backup QB Joe Burrow of 2019 Heisman Trophy fame. When he transferred to play for the Dukes, he had to start all over again. Then-head coach Mike Houston and his staff made zero promises and in 2017 he wasn't a cornerstone of the team that went to the national title game — though he was a solid contributor. But in the past two years? He became one of the heart-and-soul members of the team and worked himself into being a draftable prospect.
His contributions against N.C. State in 2018 (7 tackles, 3 TFLs, a sack and a hurry), West Virginia in 2019 (2 TFLs, 1 hurry, 1 pass broken up) and NDSU in the national title game (7 tackles, 1.5 TFLs) all warrant notice, proving he elevates himself against the best competition the Dukes play. That turns scouts' heads.
Another thing that may have turned scouts' heads is when he jumped on a plane just hours after playing his heart out in that national title game and flew to the NFLPA Game out in California. Still sore from playing in a physical, gut-wrenching, down-to-the-wire title game against the Bison, he had to impress and did all week. In the game, he had a tackle for loss and broke up a pass.
"That was crazy, that was the day after the physical game against NDSU," Carter said. "But once I'm there? I'm there and it's time to go. It was one helluva experience. I mean, one day after the title game I'm talking to NFL teams, and I really didn't have a chance to digest that we'd lost (the FCS title game) until we had our team banquet. We had great coaches at NFLPA, and just being able to learn from them and soaking all of that in, and to be in L.A., that was amazing."
Carter is one of several JMU prospects hoping for big news this weekend. The Stapleton brothers — Riley and Dylan — are two more, along with Rashad Robinson, John Daka, Ben DiNucci, Brandon Polk, Adam Smith and Mac Patrick, etc etc. It may end up being the biggest year for JMU products in recent years, actually.
Carter said he has six teams he hears from the most, and that communication has picked up greatly in the last week or so. This week he'll be keeping an eye on things from his home in Maryland, near Baltimore. One way or another, he'll be a part of an NFL team a week from now.
"I don't think it's going to hit me until I put that uniform on, actually," Carter said. "I know I'm going to be emotional. Just being able to talk about being an NFL player right now, the fact that it could be my way of making a living? I think the thing I would look forward to the most is being able to help provide for my family doing something I have so much fun playing. It's not the if, it's the when and where at this point, and that transfer I made to JMU was critical to this situation right now."
Jaguars amongst several teams who’ve met with JMU pass-rusher Ron’dell Carter https://t.co/kYFHZ4S7w5 #SmartNews
— TeeMichelle (@TeeMichelle57) April 19, 2020
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