49ers roster breakdowns, 90-in-90: DeAndre Carter

Each year, we run a series of post called "90-in-90" here at Niners Nation. The idea is that we'll take a look at every single player on the roster, from the very bottom to the top and break them down a few different ways. This is to help give everyone a basic understanding of a roster. Of course, this roster will change, and some days we'll have more than one so it's not strictly one per day but you get the idea.

The San Francisco 49ers overhauled their wide receiver depth chart this offseason, with guys like Pierre Garçon, Marquise Goodwin, Trent Taylor, and Aldrick Robinson looked at for varying contributions. However, the first wide receiver the team signed was DeAndre Carter. On February 24, three weeks prior to the start of the new league year, the 49ers landed Carter on a two-year deal.

Carter entered the NFL in 2015 as an undrafted free agent. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens, and after getting cut near the end of training camp, ended up on the Oakland Raiders practice squad. The Raiders released him in December and he signed with the New England Patriots practice squad. He went to 2016 training camp with the Patriots, but was released on September 3.

Carter is a smaller receiver, measuring in at 5’8, 190 pounds, but he put up huge numbers at FCS-level Sacramento State. In his final season, 2014, Carter hauled in 99 receptions for 1,321 yards and 17 touchdowns. That followed a junior season in which he had 64 receptions for 934 yards and 14 touchdowns.

According to a Matt Barrows feature from 2015, Carter shined at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Although it is on the lower end of the draft prospect all star game spectrum, it was still a positive opportunity for the FSC receiver. He brings considerable athleticism, excelling in all the pre-draft workouts. At the same time, given his lack of NFL success thus far, it seems like he has a ways to go to prove that he can hang with NFL caliber talent.

Scouting reports

• NFL.com scouting report
• RotoViz scouting report
• Barrows 2015 feature
• NFL Draft Diamonds interview
• 49ers press release:

Carter (5-8, 190) originally signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent on May 8, 2015. He was waived on August 31, 2015 and later signed to the Oakland Raiders practice squad on September 16, 2015. Following his release from the Raiders on December 1, 2015, Carter was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad on December 15, 2015. After spending training camp with New England in 2016, he was waived on September 3, 2016.

A 23-year-old native of San Jose, CA, Carter attended California State University, Sacramento, where he appeared in 41 games throughout his four-year career (2011-14) and finished with 207 receptions for 2,760 yards and 35 touchdowns. As a senior in 2014, he set a single-season school record with 99 receptions for 1,321 yards and 17 touchdowns while earning Associated Press FCS First-Team All-American honors.

Basic info

Height: 5’8
Weight: 190 lbs
Age: 24
Experience: 0 accrued seasons

Cap status

Carter signed a two-year contract, but received no guaranteed money. If he makes the 53-man roster, he will earn the league minimum of $465,000.

What to expect in 2017

It was a random signing, but John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan like the kind of competition he could bring to the table. He has practice squad eligibility, so if he sticks with the 49ers organization, that would seem to be the most likely result. He has gotten work as a returner, and so if he can excel in that capacity, he could potentially squeeze onto the roster as the sixth receiver. Special teams would be his primary focus if he made the roster.

Odds of making the roster

He is essentially a “veteran UDFA” given his inability to land a spot on a 53-man roster thus far. He was one of the new administration’s first signings. The team has been quick to release some of their free agent additions to make room for UDFAs, but Carter stuck around. It does not mean he’s got a strong shot at a roster spot, but it’s certainly a sign that he has not given them a reason to release him yet. He is on the weak bubble side of things at this point with a lot to prove.