Bengals had eye on 'impressive human being' Carter: 'I'm glad I left a good impression'

Barrett Carter's path to Cincinnati went back to a good impression earlier this year.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Sunday, April 27 2025

Barrett Carter's path to Cincinnati went back to a good impression made earlier this year.

Carter went through the pre-NFL draft process and the interview with his future pro team made an impact.

“He’s a guy we had high regard for, a guy we graded higher than the current round," Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden said Saturday. "He gives us four down value, special teams, a team captain, a green dot, and just a family-oriented guy. He’s just an impressive human being and will have an immediate impact for us.”

The two-time All-American was picked No. 119 overall for a fourth-round selection, and he says he was just his real self in the meetings with NFL teams.

"I didn't want to put up a front and try to be something I'm not," said Carter to Cincinnati media. "God gave me my DNA, my fingerprint, and no one else has the same fingerprint. I stand by that and I live by that...I'm a confident, humble, smart young man and that's what I strive to be in every single interview.

"I'm glad I left a good impression."

Despite the Bengals having him circled on the draft board, Carter didn't know he was going to be their pick on Saturday.

"I was not anticipating it at all," Carter said. "I was just trying to take it all in pick by pick. I saw Cincy on the clock, and I was hoping for it, but you never know with the draft. As I see my phone light up and I answer the call, here we are. I'm super, super blessed to be a part of it. I'm ready to get to work and go win some games. I'm super-excited."

His selection marked the fourth consecutive year that Clemson has had a linebacker drafted, tied with Alabama for the nation’s longest active streak.

Carter played 52 career games with 40 starts for Clemson, totaling 254 tackles (31.5 for loss), 12.5 sacks, 24 pass breakups, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. As a senior last season, he earned first-team All-ACC accolades and was named as the seventh Butkus Award finalist in school history.

"Barrett Carter, he is the epitome of a Clemson Man, first of all. He’s a team captain, he’s a graduate," Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney said in a draft day statement. "He is a Swiss army knife. He can really do a lot of things as a football player. I think he has multi-position value, is certainly a core special teams guy right out of the gate, and an incredible personality for the locker room. He’s a guy that just brightens every room that he walks into. And I have zero doubt that he’s going to have a heck of a rookie year."

Fellow Clemson linebacker standout and now coach Ben Boulware was highly impressed in his short time working with him.

“Barrett is a student of the game and super eager," Boulware said in a school news release. "His eagerness was one of the things I noticed when I returned to Clemson. He obviously was a very advanced product when I got here, but despite being near the end of his college career, he was still eager to ask questions like he was a freshman. He acted like a senior from a maturity and communication standpoint, but he never lost that eagerness to learn and to be a student of the game. He tapped into the resources that we had, and that’s on top of him being an incredible athlete. He’s a 4.5 guy who is super versatile. He’s a three-down ‘backer who can play all the positions, including playing in the box, or playing the nickel, which is one of the most sought-after positions in the game right now.

"High football IQ, but his biggest intangibles are his eagerness and willingness to learn on top of being an experienced football player.”

Carter joins a former Clemson teammate in Myles Murphy and a former high school teammate in DJ Turner II on the Cincinnati roster.

📞 Coach Swinney: “I am pumped for ya! Celebrate now and then it’s time to get to work!” #NFLDraft 🐅📈 @bcsznn pic.twitter.com/SXR4RmXVJd
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) April 26, 2025