The New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas held one final meeting with his scouts on the penultimate morning of the 2021 NFL Draft, giving them a chance to support their favorite players before the final four rounds started.
One of the most bizarre draft days ever occurred when the Jets selected Carter in the fourth round (No. 107 overall) and Carter II in the fifth (No. 154). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the only instance in NFL history where a team selected two players with the same first and last name in the same draft. According to Elias, the closest incident happened in 2002, when the Cleveland Browns selected linebacker Andra Davis and wide receiver Andre Davis.
The fact that they were on opposing ends of a bitter college rivalry is what makes the Carter-Carter story so peculiar. In their four meetings, North Carolina won the first two and Duke the final two. Carter II was involved in four tackles on the running back Carter, including back-to-back solo tackles in the 2018 game, according to the official play-by-play from the games.
However, it was North Carolina’s Carter who provided the game’s defining moment by scoring last season on a 22-yard reception in which he trucked Carter II at the 1-yard line. He was struck so forcefully that he flew back towards the end zone.
However, they get along well, especially now that they are teammates. The Carter x 2 plotlines is entertaining the two players, who honed their skills for the draft at the same facility.
It crossed my mind briefly, “Man, I can’t even have my own name,” The running back Carter remarked while grinning. “But it’s all right. He has crazy speed and a tremendous amount of talent.”
Carter II said: “Being on the same squad after competing against each other for four years in the same rivalry and sharing the same name is quite cool and amusing. Playing around with that has been fun and has helped us strengthen our bond. We had a good time together. We share a name, but I don’t think the other people are making a big deal about it just yet. There hasn’t been any uncertainty, thankfully.”
Despite having a common last name, just 10 Carters, according to Pro Football Reference, have participated in the NFL. There is only one Michael Carter on the list, a former nose tackle for the San Francisco 49ers who played from 1984 to 1992.
The Jets effectively tripled the number of Michael Carters in NFL history on Day 3 of the draft.
Robert Saleh, the Jets’ head coach, suggested he would call them MC1 and MC2. Zach Wilson, a rookie quarterback, slipped up, “It will undoubtedly be confusing. I need to think up nicknames for them.”