Alexander Rhys Carter (born October 19, 1994) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...

. He was drafted by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

in the third round of the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previo ...

. He played

in college football at

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

High school career

Carter attended Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Virginia, where he recorded over 1,000 all-purpose yards and 50 tackles with five interceptions (one returned for touchdown) as a senior. He helped lead his team to a 12–1 record and a win in the state championship game. He was named Virginia's 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year, and was selected to play in the 2012

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. Carter also lettered in

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

at Briar Woods, competing during his junior year running the 100 meters, 4x100 and the long jump (6.62m or 21-7). He competed at the state meets and his fastest time in the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

was 10.9 seconds. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Carter was ranked as the third-best

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

prospect of his class, and drew comparisons to Tyvon Branch. On April 5, 2011, he accepted a scholarship offer and announced his commitment to

College career

As a true freshman in 2012, Carter played in all 14 games with starts in the last 8 games at

. He recorded 46 tackles, including three tackles for loss, and led his team with three forced fumbles. In 2013, he started all 13 games, recording 59 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, one interception, team-high seven pass breakups. In 2014, he started all 13 games, recording 41 tackles with one interception and a team leading nine pass breakups. On December 31, 2014, he announced he would forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the

Professional career

Detroit Lions

Carter was drafted 80th overall by the

in the

. The Lions traded up with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

for the pick, giving away their own third-round pick (88th overall, Vikings picked Danielle Hunter) and their fifth-round pick (143rd overall, Vikings picked MyCole Pruitt). On September 3, 2016, Carter was waived by the Lions and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on December 24, 2016. Carter was converted to safety during the 2017 offseason. He was waived by the Lions on September 2, 2017.

New England Patriots

On October 9, 2017, Carter was signed to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

' practice squad, but was released three days later.

Seattle Seahawks

On November 14, 2017, Carter was signed to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

' practice squad. He was released on November 21, 2017.

Chicago Bears

On November 27, 2017, Carter was signed to the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

' practice squad. He was released on December 12, 2017.

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)

On December 19, 2017, Carter was signed to the Seahawks' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Seahawks on January 2, 2018. He was waived on August 2, 2018.

Carolina Panthers

On August 12, 2018, Carter signed with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2018.

Washington Redskins

On December 18, 2018, Carter was signed to the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 27, 2018. He was waived on April 30, 2019.

Personal life

Has two children, Mikah Alexander Carter (born February 15, 2018) with ex-wife Ariana Alston, and Akani Christian Carter (born October 28, 2021) with former girlfriend Akasha Marie. Carter's father,

Tom Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, was a first-round draft pick in the

1993 NFL Draft The 1993 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25–26, 1993, at the Marriot M ...

by the

References

External links

Stanford Cardinal bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Alex 1994 births Living people American football cornerbacks Stanford Cardinal football players Sportspeople from Fairfax, Virginia Players of American football from Fairfax County, Virginia Detroit Lions players New England Patriots players Seattle Seahawks players Chicago Bears players Carolina Panthers players Washington Redskins players Sportspeople from Ashburn, Virginia