It’s not an easy task for rookies to transition from the collegiate level to playing in the NFL. The young players must get adjusted to the fast pace of the professional game and the level of competition is that much greater on the professional level – however, former University of Maryland Defensive Player of The Year Jermaine Carter Jr. is adjusting just fine. In fact, just fine might be an understatement – so far, for Jermaine Carter, Jr, the NFL workload has actually been a little lighter.
“Honestly, people might think I’m crazy when I say this, but it’s been a little bit, well I don’t want to say easier, because at Maryland, I was everywhere,” said Carter, who collected his first NFL sack Thursday night when he took down Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen; the 23-year old accredits his transition and progression to the veteran guys he is playing with in the linebacker room. “I’ve got Luke, T.D., and Shaq – everybody is not worried about Jermaine Carter. So, it kind of takes a little bit of the pressure off, and I can just focus on me.”
So while the focus is off of Carter, he has been spending his time in a Panthers uniform absorbing information like a sponge, not afraid to ask questions, always listening to all the veteran linebackers around him, always learning from everyone. But he’s become especially fond of picking Thompson’s brain.
“I listen to all the guys, but I definitely ask Shaq a lot of questions,” Carter told us after practice. “We play a lot of the same positions; I see myself in Shaq, the way he plays. I like to watch him and see what he does. So, I like to ask him a lot of questions.”
“He is willing to learn and takes learning from the classroom to the field,” Thompson said about the rookie who has been getting some snaps during practice at the buffalo nickel spot that usually goes to the veteran. “He’s getting better every day and it shows in the game and practice. He came a long way from the first time we started to now.”
“He is a smart player.”
Carter is no stranger to the big moment and being a leader. In his last two season at Maryland, Carter had a total of 191 tackles and 9.5 sacks. His accomplishments include being named Honorable Mention All Big-Ten three times and leading the team in tackles for three consecutive seasons – the fifth player since 1969 to do so. His efforts in practices and play during the first preseason game caught the attention of Ron Rivera, who said after the game in Buffalo that Carter was all over the place and that is what he noticed in training camp as well — which is exactly what Defensive Coordinator Eric Washington wants from him. In addition, Washington wants them to put pressure on the quarterback and make him uncomfortable.
“For linebackers, they want to see us get downhill, and when we are given the opportunity to rush the quarterback, they want us to rush the quarterback,” Carter said. “I’ve honestly been doing very well rushing. It’s something that I worked on tremendously during the off-season. I like pass rushing, I study [Jaguars defensive end] Yannick Ngakoue. I would say he is pretty good, so I like to watch his film and just learn the little things he does.”
Again, pretty good is probably an understatement. Ngakoue, who has the single-season sack record at Maryland had a total of 12 sacks and six forced fumbles on his way to being named one of the NFL’s Top 100 Players in 2017. Ngakoue is a valuable piece to the defense in Jacksonville and Carter wants to be that valuable to the Panthers.
Making the transition easier is that Carter is not alone in a Panthers uniform – DJ Moore, his friend and teammate at Maryland, is with him. Carter says having someone you know makes things smoother because they can talk about the highs and lows of the process
“It’s definitely helpful. It’s made the transition, not easy, but we both can grow through it together. If we go through a rough time, we can pick each other up,” Carter said. “It’s just good to have somebody I know here.”
Carter is grateful to have Moore with him in Carolina. At times, a rookie will face challenges such as having bad practices or missing a read during the game; in those moments, the two have each other to rely on and confide in one another as their friendship dates back to their Maryland days. Carter said when he first saw some of his teammates in real life – like Cam Newton – it was surreal, however, he is a competitor and was immediately ready to compete and not just on the field; Carter loves the virtual field as well – as most rookies do, Carter said he played the new Madden that released on Friday, but has yet to buy it.
Although something’s missing from the game – Carter’s picture. His blank avatar didn’t keep him from testing his mettle, though.
“I had to play with the Panthers and I ended up coming out with the win and my little brother lost – I won my first game,” said Carter with a smile. “It is surreal, that’s what I do in my off-time; I play video games and stuff like that. That’s a really hobby of mine. So, for me to see myself on Madden, it’s just big.
“But we need to get my picture on there.”
That might just make his transition the NFL complete.
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