Safety Sam Carter may not have been selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, but he could potentially be in prime position where his NFL career is concerned now that he's a member of the Chicago Bears.
Carter (6-foot-1, 215-pounds), a three-year starter at TCU, entered the pre-draft process to questions about his speed and thus his ability in coverage - he performed mostly as an in-the-box, safety/linebacker hybrid in college.
He's a smart, instinctive player though, and with the Bears boasting little in the way of safety talent beyond a couple long-in the-tooth guys and a recent fifth-round pick, Carter has the opportunity to really open some eyes in Chicago this offseason.
"The Bears have a huge need at safety and only used a late-round pick on the position in the form of Adrian Amos," writes Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com. "Chicago also has a new coaching staff and front office that isn't married to any holdovers from the previous regime. Neither Antrel Rolle nor Ryan Mundy are long-term starters either. Thus, Carter should get a fair shot at one or two roster spots competing with Brock Vereen and Anthony Jefferson. While there were speed concerns with Carter, plenty of players have overcome that in past years, and he could easily do the same."
Rolle, 32, is set to enter his 13th NFL season. He brings leadership intangibles off-the-field which were probably as enticing, if not more enticing, to new Bears head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace, than his efforts on the field.
Rolle finished last season for the Giants with 87 tackles, three interceptions, one forced fumble and nine passes defensed so he's clearly still productive, but it's unlikely Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can rely on him long-term.
Mundy, 30, has only six seasons of NFL wear-and-tear on his body and did amass over 100 tackles in Chicago last season, but it's also unlikely Fangio will be able to bank on his services for more than a season or two.
Amos, a rangy athlete with good football intelligence, seems like the ready heir apparent to Rolle. Mundy, on the other hand, more of a hitter and wood-layer, seems to have little in the way of talent behind him.
Carter, despite the questions about his speed, could fit nicely behind Mundy on the Bears depth chart.
"Sources say there was one reason why Carter went undrafted: speed concerns," writes Campbell. "Teams said that they liked Carter on and off the field. They thought he was a good player, but could be short on speed for the NFL. At the Combine, Carter ran a 4.65-second time in the 40-yard dash that had teams worried if he possessed the speed to run with NFL receivers downfield."
If Carter can find a way to hone his instincts, understanding and angles to the ball, he could potentially over his speed deficiencies and fill a back-up and key special teams role quite nicely for the Bears this season, while vying for Mundy's starting spot in the not-too-distant future.
If nothing else, Carter's certainly in a prime position to make a name for himself right away at the professional level.
