Carter Meadows

Physical Profile

Meadows measured 6-6 and 225 pounds with roughly 35-inch arms as a junior, and arrived at Michigan in June 2026 at about 245 pounds before adding roughly eight pounds in his first six weeks to reach 252-253. That is a rare frame for the position: NFL-length arms, long levers, and a basketball background (EYBL with Team Takeover, offers including American) that shows up in his foot quickness, hip flexibility and body control in space. The frame is nowhere near finished. Senior teammate Cam Brandt described him in camp as 'a long body, long kid, still growing into his body,' and a mature playing weight in the 260-270 range is realistic without losing the twitch. His build fits a stand-up or hand-down edge in an even front, with the length to two-gap and set the edge once his lower body fills out.

Play Style

On film Meadows is a long, upright, high-motor edge who wins with reach and closing burst. He gets his hands on the tackle first, extends to create separation, then either bends underneath at the top of the rush or converts to power once the blocker is leaning. His basketball footwork shows up in how he redirects on screens and boots and how he chases plays down the line from the backside. He plays with a fast rush tempo and flashes forced-fumble instincts when arriving at the quarterback. He is at his best as a wide-aligned rusher with a runway; he is less refined when asked to play head-up on a tackle and hold ground.

Strengths

• Length as a weapon: 35-inch arms on a 6-7 frame let him win first contact, lock out tackles and keep blockers off his chest; 247Sports' Andrew Ivins cited his 'reach, bend and tempo' as the traits that will trouble college linemen.
• Bend and flexibility for his size: unlike most 6-7 edges, he can dip and flatten around the arc, which is why scouts compare him to Gregory Rousseau (Ivins) and Montez Sweat rather than to stiff, long defensive ends.
• Production trend and playmaking: went from 33 tackles and 2 sacks in a six-game junior year to 62 tackles, 7 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery as a senior while leading Gonzaga to the WCAC title game, earning first-team all-conference after honorable mention All-Met in 2024.
• Athletic ceiling still untapped: a two-sport athlete who split training with EYBL basketball until 2025, so his football-specific strength and technique work is only starting; his early camp reviews at Michigan ('a freak in practice') came despite missing spring ball.

Areas to Improve

• Play strength and anchor against the run: at 252 on a 6-7 frame he will be leveraged by Big Ten tackles and tight ends on down blocks until he adds mass and lower-body power; his pad level naturally runs high because of his height.
• Pass-rush plan and hand usage: his junior tape was more length-and-effort than technique, and the sack production only spiked in 2025; he needs a counter to pair with his long-arm and speed-to-power to be more than a one-move rusher against college tackles.
• Reps and football maturity: a six-game junior season, a basketball-split senior offseason and a summer (not January) enrollment mean he has fewer developmental snaps than most five-star edges; consistency down to down, not flashes, is the next step.

College Projection

He is a true freshman at Michigan under first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham, who was hired December 26, 2025 after Sherrone Moore's dismissal, and Meadows honored his December signature through the coaching change. He arrived in the summer, so he missed spring practice, but he and fellow freshman Tariq Boney drew standout reviews in fall camp behind veterans Cam Brandt, John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols, and Whittingham has said he will see the field in 2026. Expect a situational pass-rush role as a freshman (Michigan opens September 5 against Western Michigan; no college stats yet), a rotational 35-40 percent snap share as a sophomore, and a starting, all-conference-caliber role by 2028 if his weight reaches the 260s.

NFL Outlook

Meadows carries a legitimate first-round projection (247Sports' Ivins: 'First Round') on the strength of his length, bend and frame, which are the three traits NFL teams pay for at edge. His comps (Rousseau, Sweat) were both first-round picks with similar builds. The risk is the same as with every basketball-convert edge: the traits are elite but the technical floor is low, so his draft position will track how quickly he develops a rush plan and run-game strength. Three-year timeline to the 2029 draft is the realistic path given his November 2007 birth date and late football-only focus.

Best Fit

An attacking, multiple-front defense that lets him align wide and rush with a runway while his body matures, with a staff that will invest in his hand technique and strength program rather than force him into an early-down edge-setting role. Michigan's edge room and Whittingham's defensive-line pedigree at Utah fit that profile well: the veterans ahead of him buy a year of development, and the scheme uses long, bendy ends as designated pass rushers before expanding their snaps.