Alex Carter to Detroit Lions: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew continued to buck his straight-line best-player-available approach by moving up for cornerback Alex Carter in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft.

Detroit gave up its first fifth-round pick (No. 143) and swapped third-rounders with the Minnesota Vikings to tab the former Stanford Cardinal. It's a bold strategy that knocks out another need, although Mayhew would tell you that he was sticking to the plan, as MLive's Kyle Meinke notes:

"

Why haven't the Lions taken a defensive tackle yet? Mayhew: "Best player available."

— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 2, 2015"

That will be a point of debate for the next six months (or years) among the Lions faithful. What isn't up for discussion is Carter's new employer, so let's see how he'll fit with the Lions.

Where will Carter Play?

Carter was listed on all of his pre-draft scouting reports as a cornerback. His new boss will tell you that he'll at least start out there, but the option of falling to the back line of the defense is a distinct option, as The Detroit News' Josh Katzenstein reports:

"

Mayhew on Alex Carter: I think he has some ability to play safety, but he's going to play corner when he gets here.

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) May 2, 2015"

That versatility is what made a pick like Eric Rowe a sexy possibility in the second round. Carter isn't on the same level as Rowe, but the fact that he can move around the secondary certainly adds to his value.

However, he'll have to add a decent amount of weight to his 196-pound frame to take over at strong safety because Glover Quin won't be abdicating the free-safety spot anytime soon.

Can Carter Play in Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin's System?

Theoretically, yes.

He's a 6' defensive back who loves to play physically at the line of scrimmage, which translates well to Austin's favored press-man scheme. He's also an excellent tackler and will attack a ball-carrier with reckless abandon. Kyle Meinke of Mlive.com agrees:

"

Alex Carter is 6-foot, 196 pounds. Ran the 40 in 4.50 seconds. Physical corner, excellent tackler

— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 2, 2015"

But that same aggressiveness can be used against him. Carter isn't going to attack the ball at the point of attack. He'd rather go straight after the receiver instead of looking for the interception, which is why he only logged two picks throughout his career.

Additionally, if he doesn't re-route the receiver at the line of scrimmage, he'll have trouble sticking with him in the open field. He'll also have to be protected by a safety over the top as he lacks legitimate recovery speed (4.51 40-yard dash, per NFL.com).

If Detroit puts him in the right position to succeed, Carter can reward them with solid play. Austin, however, must keep him near the line of scrimmage to maximize his abilities.

Final Analysis

My initial reaction was to grade the pick out at a B-. Further research hasn't unearthed anything to move that evaluation one way or the other, but there are a lot of shortcomings that will have to be covered up to make this work.

Carter can become a good contributor to Detroit's defense in the future. Yet it will take time to see how he develops before any real understanding can be had.

All combine statistics are sourced from NFL.com.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.