Washington Redskins UDFA profile - Martez Carter, RB/KR, Grambling State

“I have a 27-year-old brother who is incarcerated. My mother dropped out of school in 10th grade, my father dropped out in the 10th grade, and I have older brothers who dropped out in the 10th grade. … I didn’t want to be a bad product of my environment. I didn’t want to be a statistic, so I just really put in my mind that... I was going to make the best of it.”

— Martez Carter

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Carter is an undersized, but well-built with a plus ability to make tacklers miss [and] can hit highlight reel jumps and stack his moves.... Carter is an explosive athlete and can catch the ball out of the backfield as well as return kicks. There may be enough check marks there to threaten for a roster spot or land on a practice squad early on.

— Lance Zierlein, NFL analyst

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“Mr. Excitement”

ESPN featured Carter in an article titled, “Grambling State’s Martez Carter goes from humble beginnings to ‘Mr. Excitement’”.

He was brought to Grambling State’s team as a cornerback who wore the No. 40, but he took his spot on special teams very seriously.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

His sophomore year, after working hard and proving his skills, No. 40 became No. 4 — a running back who returned kicks with such explosiveness and versatility on the field that he turned heads and caused fans to wonder who the new kid was.

He became known as one of the most exciting players to watch in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), and Mr. Excitement has lived up to his name since.

A long path

Martez Carter is a success story already, no matter what happens in his bid to make the Redskins roster.

The path to the NFL is a long and challenging one for many players, with injuries and other obstacles standing between them and their dreams. For new Washington Redskins running back Martez Carter, the road was even tougher.

Originally from Monroe, La., Carter is one of 11 children. He was also the first in his immediate family to graduate from high school - Carter’s mother, father and older brothers all dropped out before the 11th grade.

Determined to be the first college graduate in his family, Carter worked hard to make it to the next level. Eligibility issues forced him to miss his senior year of high school football, and Carter initially accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Wiley College.

When his basketball coach transferred and left him without a spot, Carter was invited to walk on at Grambling State. Back to playing football, Carter made a name for himself right away.

Carter played in every game as a true freshman, and never missed a matchup over his four-year college career. He switched from cornerback to running back and earned a starting job as a sophomore, racking up 876 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 7.9 yards per rush.

Despite his smaller size at 5-foot-7 and 193 pounds, Carter is a threat in both the run and receiving games. He added 449 yards and two touchdowns through the air during his senior season. He was also a significant contributor on special teams throughout his career at Grambling State.

Washington fans will already be aware of the strong connection that the Redskins have to Grambling State through Doug Williams, who not only led Grambling to 36 wins as a 4-year starter at QB, but also spent 9 years as the head coach of Grambling’s football team, most recently in 2013, just prior to joining the Redskins front office as a personnel executive.

Doug is also a Louisiana native with strong ties to the area; I sense that he may have had a lot to do with getting Carter into Redskins training camp.

Carter is keeping his eye on a bright future, even if football isn’t involved. Carter, the first to graduate from college in his family, has already earned his Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice and is working toward another degree in sports management.

“I can stay around coaching, or become a probation officer or a police officer,” Carter said. “I remind myself that if this game was taken from me, I’ll still have my degree and I don’t have to go back home. To be given an opportunity to do what I love every day is even more drive to stay on the right path.”

I’ve got to say, the more I learn about this young man, the more I believe he’s gonna be a Redskin in 2018.

Measurables and statistics

Let’s see what Gibbs4potus saw on game film:

Quick, powerful, and a threat to score

Martez Carter is a quick, darting runner with little wasted movement in between. He is short (5’7”) but has a powerful base (210 pounds). Carter is a threat to score on any play.

Vision and acceleration

Carter has good vision and great acceleration and cuts back inside here for a touchdown.

Able to catch out of the backfield

Carter reads his blocks well and has quick feet, is elusive and agile with good balance and a great jump cut. He catches the ball well out of the backfield and is quick to pressure the defense as he converts to a runner.

“Mr. Excitement”

As a punt and kickoff returner, Carter reminds me a bit of Redskins great, Brian Mitchell. He goes directly upfield on returns, and has a stocky body for his height, much like Mitchell. He keeps defenders at bay with a straight arm on a return for a touchdown here.

How would he fit with the Redskins?

The Redskins have a deep backfield for now with Chris Thompson, Derrius Guice and Samaje Perine all locks to make the roster. I expect them to add a 4th running back to the group and it will probably be a player who is a good threat in the passing game.

My favorite to take the 4th spot is Carter. He will be a good understudy to Thompson as a third down running back. Even more importantly, Carter will be a great threat in the return game. If Carter is not kept on the Redskins’ 53 man roster, I think another team will pick him up and add him to their roster.

Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Some Tweets from Martez Carter’s Twitter feed: