Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter starting NFL journey with Cincinnati Bengals
Clemson football has its first 2025 NFL draft pick.
On Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals selected former Tigers linebacker Barrett Carter 119th overall in the fourth round of the draft from Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Carter is Clemson’s first pick this weekend during a draft that’s expected to be lighter than usual on former Tigers. Clemson had at least one first round draft pick in 10 of the past 12 drafts, but it snapped that streak Thursday with zero selections.
It’s the second time in the past three years and fourth time in the past five years that the Bengals have drafted a Clemson player. Cincinnati has also taken WR Tee Higgins (2020), OL Jackson Carman (2021) and DE Myles Murphy (2023).
Carter (6-foot, 231 pounds) was a three-year starter for the Tigers and coach Dabo Swinney. A former five-star recruit from Georgia, he started every game at weakside linebacker as a senior and was credited with 84 tackles (72 solo).
A versatile and athletic defender, Carter also had 10.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, nine pass breakups and nine quarterback pressures in 2024 as Clemson went 10-4, won the ACC championship and returned to the College Football Playoff.
Carter was viewed as a Day 3 pick after his junior season and came back to the Tigers for one more season to improve his draft stock. He ended up leaving Clemson as the only player in the country during his four-year career (2021-24) to record at least 30 tackles for loss, at least 20 pass breakups and at least three interceptions.
“He is a Swiss army knife,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “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. ... I have zero doubt that he’s going to have a heck of a rookie year.”
NFL Network analyst Lance Zierlein had projected Carter as a fourth-round pick and described him as a “prototypical three-down linebacker who added muscle mass in 2024 without losing playmaking quickness.”
“He’s capable in man coverage and stands out as both a blitzer and a spy for mobile quarterbacks,” he wrote. “Carter’s demeanor, versatility and athletic profile give him a good chance of becoming a quality starter as a run-and-chase Will linebacker.”
S R.J. Mickens to the Chargers
R.J. Mickens became the second Clemson player taken in the draft when the Los Angeles Chargers picked him with the second-to-the-last pick in the sixth round.
Mickens was picked No. 214 overall. He’s the 11th Clemson player to be drafted by the Chargers and the second in the past three years (OL Jordan McFadden, 2023).
The 6-foot, 199-pound Mickens played in 60 games and started 30 across five seasons with the Tigers. He had a career-high 85 tackles and 6.0 tackles for loss in 2024, plus seven pass breakups and two interceptions, while primarily played at the free safety position as a fifth-year senior. His father, Ray, was an All-American DB at Texas A&M who played nine years in the NFL.
“He has really good length, and he’s a guy that’s going to do what he’s supposed to do every single day,” Swinney said. “I’m excited because I think that he’ll have an opportunity to make the team and be an active roster guy.”
Clemson 2025 NFL Draft picks
- Fourth round: Barrett Carter, Cincinnati Bengals, No. 119 overall
- Sixth round: R.J. Mickens, Los Angeles Chargers, No. 214
- Seventh round: Phil Mafah, Dallas Cowboys, No. 239
This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM.
