The Indianapolis Colts announced on Monday that they have signed wide receiver Duron Carter, who has spent the last two seasons in the CFL. Carter, the son of Hall of Fame WR Cris Carter, has impressive size at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds to go along with very good speed (reports of a 4.4 40-yard dash have surfaced). In two seasons playing for the Montreal Allouettes, Carter hauled in 124 receptions for 1,939 yards and 12 touchdowns.
“His length is what jumps out right off the bat and his ability to make the big play with that length in a variety of way,” Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson said after the signing. “He has very good quickness and wiggle for his size and has excellent ability to adjust to the ball in the air.”
Carter has showed impressive pure ability and seemingly unlimited upside on the field. That being said, he has had his share of off the field issues. Once a big-time Division I recruit who committed to Ohio State, Carter jumped from college to college because of academic issues, and seemingly a lack of maturity.
He spent some time at Ohio State, Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, Alabama and Florida Atlantic, before declaring for the NFL Draft in 2013 with no other options. Carter went undrafted, and despite receiving a try-out with the Minnesota Vikings, was never offered an NFL contract.
After a successful two year stint in the CFL, Carter decided to give the NFL another shot. This time, teams were much more interested. The Colts won the bidding for Carter, but the Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers all showed a ton of interest as well.
Carter really could not have ended up in a better situation than with the Colts. Andrew Luck is arguably the most talented young passer in the game, and Carter is a physically imposing weapon who could easily thrive with a talent like Luck.
Also, while the Colts have some nice receiving options, they sure could use a big body like Carter. T.Y Hilton has been great, but at 5-foot-9, he is a completely different player than Carter. Donte Moncrief has shown some upside, but he is a very raw talent. As unrestricted free agents, veterans Reggie Wayne and Hakeem Nicks could easily move on this off-season, opening up a golden opportunity for Carter. It is up to him to take advantage of it.