Duron Carter is attempting to fill some big shoes. The son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter will follow in his father's footsteps and have an NFL career of his very own. After having an extremely checkered college career, Carter is getting the chance to make it in the professional league. While he went undrafted over the weekend, Carter has accepted an invitation to sign with the Minnesota Vikings and attend their rookie minicamp.
Carter attended four different colleges, never making it more than a season at any of them. He started out at his father's alma mater, Ohio State. He played his freshman season, earning 13 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown. He was forced to leave for academic reasons and played the 2010 season at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. It was there that he caught 10 touchdown passes. He then transferred to University of Alabama in 2011, but never became eligible to play. He transferred one more time to Florida Atlantic in 2012, but once again, never became eligible to play. The Vikings are essentially signing on good faith in hopes that he turns out to be more like his father.
Carter believes his son did not succeed in college football because he just did not like attending school. He understands that his son's path to the NFL is not a normal situation but he believes Minnesota is the best landing spot.
"I'm just so happy for him that he'll get an opportunity to continue doing what he loves to do. For him to get that opportunity with the Minnesota Vikings, a team I player for and love, it's just a blessing," Carter said.
Carter is the all-time leading receiver for the Vikings. He played 12 of his 16 seasons in the NFL in Minnesota. He set multiple franchise records, garnering 12,383 yards on 1,004 catches, along with 110 touchdowns.
Carter has certainly been a big advocate for his son. He claims Cater has the size and speed to be a productive wide receiver in the league. At 6-4, 2-5 pounds, Carter says his son has strong route running abilities and great hands with an eye for the ball. However, he seems to be one of the only people in the troubled wide receiver's corner. A former quarterback from Coffeyville described Carter as "the most lazy, whiny and non-work ethic played the NFL has ever seen..." He said the receiver was a horrible teammate and described him as a cancer in the locker room.
Time will tell what kind of player Carter turns out to be. He also received an offer to try out for the Baltimore Ravens, but decided on the Vikings instead.