Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with James Madison edge defender Ron’Dell Carter
Every team will be looking for hidden gems in the later rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft, and if they’re looking for that player among this year’s edge rusher prospects, James Madison’s Ron’Dell Carter fits the bill.
One of the nation’s most productive edge defenders, Carter recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his transfer from Rutgers, how he’s become such a successful pass rusher, and why a team should take a chance on him in this year’s draft.
JM: You actually began your college football career at Rutgers before eventually transferring to James Madison. You’ve had a lot of time to reflect on that move. How do you look back on it?
RDC: It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. When I first decided to attend Rutgers, it was an excellent decision at the time. It eventually lead to a transfer to James Madison, which is where I wanted to be. Things didn’t work out for me at Rutgers, but I still appreciated my time there. I was able to transfer to James Madison and play football with my brother. That was always a dream of mine. The transfer gave me a chance to fulfill that dream. I look back on it as the best decision I’ve ever made up to this point.
JM: You had an excellent season in 2019. You posted career highs in both sacks (12) and tackles for loss (27). You were productive prior to 2019 as well, but you really exploded this past season. What changed for you?
RDC: I can’t say that anything really changed. I think there’s somewhat of a realization for every collegiate athlete entering their senior season. I just wanted to go out with a bang. I obviously wanted to win championships throughout my entire career. There’s a realization that comes with your final season. This is it, it’s over. 2019 was my last year. I didn’t wanna come off the field. I wanted to play every snap that I could. I wanted to win a National Championship and we made a good run at it. We had a great locker room. We had the talent that allowed us to take it as far as we did.
JM: What can you tell me about your pass rush arsenal?
RDC: I can do a lot of different things and line up in a lot of different places. I can line up both inside and outside. That gives me a little bit of flexibility to go up against centers, guards and tackles. I try to vary my moves depending on the position I’m going up against. I have certain moves that I prepare for certain positions. It really just depends on where I’m lining up. Having that versatility is always a good thing. I was able to play all over the defensive line all throughout my career. It helped me a lot as a pass rusher.
JM: Do you have something that you consider a go-to move? If so, how do you incorporate some counter moves?
RDC: I love to use speed-to-power. The long-arm has probably been my bread and butter though. Those are my two most polished moves. Those two moves right there lead to a lot of my sacks. When I’m working those moves, I can counter with a hump move on the inside. If I’m setting you up for speed-to-power, you’re gonna start leaning towards me a little bit more. That opens up the chance for me to hit you with an inside move. That’s mainly why I use the long-arm, hump move or speed-to-power.
JM: What can you tell me about the system that James Madison ran on defense in 2019 and what your coaches asked of you?
RDC: We were very aggressive on defense this past season. If you watch the film, you’ll notice that we did a lot of blitzing. We were very aggressive up front. That really allowed me to reach the backfield on a consistent basis. I had 27 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. The pressure we were getting as an overall unit helped me attain those numbers. That made my job easy. You can’t beat that kind of pressure. We were constantly putting stress on the backfield. Those quarterbacks and running backs can’t deal with all that pressure.
That allowed us to expose a lot of offenses. We were a four-man front with two linebackers and a bunch of defensive backs. We did a lot of different things. We had a lot of big bodies that were terrific athletes. We had big boys up front but we could really move. That allowed us to remain aggressive.
JM: Who were some of the best offensive linemen you’ve gone up against?
RDC: Colton McKivitz from West Virginia is the first name that comes to mind. He’s a really good player. He was the left tackle. I’m sure he’ll get drafted this year. There was this younger guy on Northern Iowa that caught my eye. I can’t remember his name, but he was the right tackle for them. I’m sure he’ll get drafted next season. He was about 6-7, 310 pounds with long arms. The left tackle at NC State was a good one as well. I’ve played against some talented players throughout my career.
JM: Did you get a chance to make any private visits or workouts before the spread of COVID-19 shut everything down?
RDC: I didn’t get a chance to make any of them. I had more than a few of them lined up as well. Every single one of them was canceled. I was supposed to have a meeting with the San Francisco 49ers two days before my pro day that got canceled. Of course, my pro day was then canceled as well. I had some private workouts and visits that were also canceled. It’s all been very unfortunate.
JM: I imagine you’ve moved things to the phones since then. Who are some of the teams you’ve met with via FaceTime since then?
RDC: I’ve met with the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans. I’ve had FaceTime or Zoom meetings with those five teams right there. I’ve had several other teams call me. We’ve had some phone discussions with some additional teams but those are the five teams that I had official video teleconferences with.
JM: What’s the biggest lesson that you’ve learned throughout your football career?
RDC: I’ve learned to never take this game for granted. That’s why I play so hard. You never know when you’re gonna play your last snap. I’ve seen a career end from a spinal injury that didn’t even look like a big hit. It was just a regular tackle and his career was over. I’ve seen guys tear their knees up or break their leg and they were never the same player. I’ve seen that happen on the field. It makes you wanna cherish the game even more than you do currently. I’ve seen guys with NFL potential have their careers wiped out due to an injury. That’s sad stuff right there. That’s the biggest lesson that I’ve learned. You never know when it’s gonna be your last snap.
JM: Why should an NFL team use one of their draft picks on Ron’Dell Carter?
RDC: An NFL team should use a draft pick on Ron’Dell Carter because I play fast and physical. I put my best foot forward on every single snap. I’m always trying to impact the pocket and I have the production to show for it. Most importantly, I’m a coach-able player. You can’t teach some of those traits. Either you have it or you don’t. I love to be coached. When you get a player like me, you’re always gonna have a shot to achieve greatness.
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