The Jets have signed RB Michael Carter, the team's fourth-round pick out of North Carolina.
Carter, who was the final of four offensive players taken by the Green & White to start a draft for the first time in 38 years, rushed for 1,245 yards last season while averaging 8.0 yards/per carry and scored 9 times on the ground. He also averaged 10.7 yards on his 24 receptions and had 2 TD catches.
Head Coach Robert Saleh said: "We go through and just watched the third round unfold and we're just looking at Michael Carter fall and we're like, 'Holy cow, he might get to us.' So we went to bed (Saturday) night as excited as heck because Michael Carter's sitting there."
Carter's 3,404 rush yards were fourth best in program history and the most by a Carolina back in more than two decades. Also totaling 82 receptions for 656 yards with 6 receiving TDs, Carter set a school record by averaging 6.6 yards per carry (min. 300 rushes).
"It's a dream come true," Carter told Jets reporters after being drafted. "I had a feeling all along I was going to be in New York, or New Jersey, really, I guess. But I'm just excited to be a Jet."
The 5-8, 201-pound Carter led the nation last season with 18 rushes of 20 or more yards. Despite splitting the workload with Javonte Williams a second-round pick of the Denver Broncos, Carter led the ACC in 2020 with 113.2 rush yards per game and was second in the conference with 151.5 all-purpose yards per game.
"My style? Explosive. Fun," Carter said. "I'm fun to watch. I like to try and score every time I carry the rock. I like to have fun when I play football. It's a game, a fun game. I'm just excited to go run in the NFL."
The Jets will employ a zone-running scheme under offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and the signed Carter thinks he'll be a good fit.
"I think my change of direction and stop and start ability, it complements this system well," Carter said. "I've been running pretty much wide-zone since I was born. It something that really comes natural for me.
"We ran a lot of in college., Even in high school and in youth football I did. I'm very familiar with it. I'm just excited to get in the system."
