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Draft Q&A with Testudo Times on Panthers

Draft Q&A with Testudo Times on Panthers’ fifth round pick Jermaine Carter Our draft coverage continues today with a focus on linebacker Jermaine Carter http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.c … ght-jersey , the Panthers fifth selection in the 2018 draft. I spoke again with Thomas Kendziora, who previously helped us out with DJ Moore, to get a better idea of the second Maryland Terrapin drafted by Carolina this year.Cat Scratch Reader: After not getting invited to the Combine or the Senior Bowl, were you surprised that Carter was drafted? Testudo Times:I was certainly surprised to see his name called when it was. Carter was very much a fringe draft prospect; I knew he’d get at least a minicamp invite and had a chance to be drafted in the seventh round, but it was a little unexpected to see Carolina take him in the fifth. We actually thought the Maryland player other than DJ Moore with the best chance of being drafted was cornerback JC Jackson, who ended up not being selected. But Carter definitely impressed the Panthers with something, and here’s hoping he delivers on it.CSR: The Panthers are already incredibly deep at linebacker, what trait of Carter’s will help him secure a roster spot in Carolina?TT: There isn’t one thing about Carter that jumps out, which is why his being drafted was a bit of a surprise, but he’s a solid all-around player and a strong tackler. He delivers hard hits and forced seven fumbles in his career. The approach of taking the player who racked up tackles without jaw-dropping measurables has worked out for Carolina before with Luke Kuechly. Carter’s upside obviously isn’t anywhere near Kuechly’s, but it’s reasonable to expect him to be a good rotational linebacker and special teams player.CSR: Does Carter have a history of production in your defense or was he more of a late bloomer/one-year wonder?TT:Carter was a three-year starter who led Maryland in tackles in each of those seasons, recording over 300 in total. He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention three times and a team captain twice. Last year, he was the Terps’ vocal leader. Carter’s production level in college was perhaps his biggest plus when being evaluated for the next level. Old numbers won’t help him now, but he’s got plenty of experience to lean on as he tries to make it in the prosCSR: Are there any cool off field stories Panthers fans should know about Carter?TT: There aren’t many notable Carter stories that come up as often as his on-field prowess. His tale is one you’ve heard before: a lightly-recruited player who went to the in-state school and worked his way into an NFL-caliber player. He’s got some ties to North Carolina, but he was still a little worried there wouldn’t be Chipotle in his new hometown (good news for him: there are several). Honestly, that’s the most interesting thing that comes to mind.CSR: What was Carter’s most memorable on field moment in his Terrapin career?TT: Against FIU in 2016, Carter pulled in his first career interception and brought it back 14 yards for a touchdown. And last year against Texas Youth Greg Olsen Jersey , he sacked quarterback Shane Beuchele on Maryland’s first defensive series of the game to force a three-and-out. The Terps were already down 7-0 at that point, but I’ve always remembered the momentum shifting around that play in particular. Maryland won that game in Austin, and there’s no telling what it would have led to had either of the team’s two best quarterbacks been healthy. At the very least, it was a career performance at a perfect time. Rae Carruth is a free man.The former NFL wide receiver was released from prison Monday after serving more than 18 years for conspiring to murder the mother of his unborn child.The Carolina Panthers' 1997 first-round draft pick was released from Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton, North Carolina, after completing his sentence of 18 to 24 years.Carruth did not speak to reporters as he left prison wearing a knit cap and an unzipped jacket on a chilly morning with temperatures in the high 30s. There was a smattering of applause when he got into a white SUV and was whisked away. He was taken to an undisclosed location.The 44-year-old Carruth will be on a nine-month post-release program, according to North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesman Jerry Higgins. He would need special permission from a case officer to leave the state or the country during that span but is free to go wherever he pleases after nine months.Carruth was found guilty of orchestrating a plot to kill Cherica Adams on Nov. 16, 1999, in Charlotte, North Carolina, to avoid paying child support. Adams was shot four times while driving her car but managed to make a 911 call that helped implicate Carruth.Adams went into a coma and died less than a month later after the shooting.The child she was carrying, Chancellor Lee Adams, was delivered by emergency cesarean section but suffers from permanent brain damage and cerebral palsy.Carruth has never admitted guilt in Adams' murder, but in a complex 15-page letter to WBTV-TV in Charlotte in February he wrote that "I feel responsible for everything that happened. And I just want (Saundra Adams) to know that truly I am sorry for everything."Carruth's former attorney, David Rudolf, did not immediately return phone calls Monday seeking comment about Carruth's release and plans.Last week, Carruth told WSOC-TV in Charlotte in a telephone interview Youth Ryan Kalil Jersey , "I just truly want to be forgiven."He went on to say he was "somewhat frightened" about his release, adding that "I'm nervous just about how I'll be received by the public. I still have to work. I still have to live. I have to exist out there and it just seems like there is so much hate and negativity toward me."Carruth has repeatedly said he wants to have a relationship with his son, who remains in the custody of his grandmother, Saundra Adams, who has raised him since birth. Adams had previously said she would be there when Carruth got out of prison, but she was not present Monday.Carruth's arrest on charges of conspiracy and attempted murder nine days after the shooting sent shockwaves throughout the Panthers organization.The team released Carruth and the NFL suspended him indefinitely after he fled the Charlotte area after posting $3 million bail and was found by federal authorities hiding in the trunk of a car in Tennessee, about 500 miles from Charlotte.Panthers center Frank Garcia played with Carruth for more than two seasons. He said players were stunned when they heard the news of Carruth's possible involvement in the murder, about 20 miles from the team's downtown stadium in the affluent section of South Charlotte."It would be like finding out the guy sitting in the cubicle next to you at work was arrested for murder," Garcia said. "You just don't always know people as well as you think you do."Garcia said Carruth was a little shy, and mostly kept to himself. But he said Carruth had a passion for helping kids, including reading books to elementary school students.It was a difficult time in Panthers history.Some players were called out of football practice to testify at the trial. Those not involved would spend time huddling in the players' lounge watching the trial on Court TV."That is one time where you were actually hiding from the cameras," Garcia said. "You just wanted to stay low and not be involved. All along you're asking yourself, 'Did I miss any signs? How is somebody capable of this?'"While in jail Carruth worked as a barber, making about $1 per hour, the Department of Public Safety said.That's a far cry from the four-year, $3.7 million contract Carruth signed with the Panthers after being drafted 鈥?although he never collected all of that money since he was released in the third year of his deal.