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Washington Redskins Trade For Derek Carrier Has Big Upside

By Erik Lambert

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Sep 21, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Derek Carrier (46) catches a pass during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Derek Carrier is a name that may not be familiar to a lot of people, but it suddenly got thrust to the forefront when the Washington Redskins traded their 5th round pick in 2017 to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for the third-year tight end.  It wasn’t a surprise that they made such a move.  After losing Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen to season-end injuries, their tight end position is razor thin.

The question is why did they target Carrier specifically.  Well it turns out NFL Mocks’ very own Sayre Bedinger pinpointed the former receiver when he was coming out of small Beloit College during the 2012 draft process.  That can be read here.  It details how the kid pretty much came out of nowhere during the Wisconsin pro day.

"“One small school player that turned heads during Wisconsin’s pro day was Beloit receiver Derek Carrier. The three sport athlete (Carrier also played basketball and ran track in college) ran under 4.5-seconds after measuring 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds. His other marks included a 40-inch vertical jump, 10-foot, 2-inch broad jump and 6.69 seconds during the three cone run. The three cone time was topped by just one receiver at the combine.Carrier is more than just a good athlete as the Division III wide out caught 75 passes for 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. He left teams scrambling after the workout and received more than two dozen requests for game film from scouts and NFL team officials on hand.”"

A player of that size with that kind of athleticism and speed is going to turn heads.  Carrier wasn’t drafted and spent his rookie season as a practice squad player for the Philadelphia Eagles.  A year later he landed in San Francisco where he eventually worked his way onto the active roster.  During his limited action he rated highly as a blocker, made some plays on special teams and caught nine passes for 105 yards.

The 49ers never gave him much of a chance since they had Vernon Davis and Vance McDonald ahead of him.  However, this trade to the Redskins could be the big break he’s been waiting for.  If his development is able to match his physical talent then this could be a potential steal for the team.

Next: 2016 NFL Draft: Connor Cook Leads QBs to Watch

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