Scouting Report
Approved · Aug 31, 2026Carter Raney

Overall grade
- 0-49Undetermined
- 50-59D-III / Developmental
- 60-69D-II / NAIA
- 70-74FCS
- 75-84Group of 5
- 85-89Power 4 Prospect
- 90-94Blue Chip
- 95-100Elite / Top 100
Downhill safety prospect who wins with explosive triggering, physicality, and effectiveness in run support, and whose projection comes down to whether he develops the back-half range to become more than a box defender. Verified at 5-foot-10, 166 pounds in January 2026. He lists himself at 5-foot-10, 177. Frame looks filled out, especially in the upper body, with the lower half still holding some room to get stronger. Has potential to tack on 15-20 pounds without sacrificing athletic ability, and could sit around 195-205 pounds comfortably. Good length for his size, though, close to a 74-to-75-inch wingspan. Ran a laser-verified 4.95…
Top Attributes
- Explosive movements, agility, and change of direction - Downhill trigger and closing to the football - Physicality and effectiveness as a tackler in run support
Areas to Develop
- Instincts and range as a back-half defender - Continue to develop and improve top-end speed - Development in ball skills and attacking the football
Film Review Notes
2028 safety prospect with verified size of 5-foot-10, 166 pounds in January 2026. He lists himself at 5-foot-10, 177 pounds, so I like that the height matches the verified height from January, and I'm willing to accept a weight close to the listed 177 pounds, given that we are nearly 9 months from the previously verified weight. Frame looks filled out and well-developed, especially in the upper body. Lower half still has room to fill out and continue to get stronger. Probably won't add as much weight as you'd like and has limited developing left from a physical standpoint and will likely only be comfortable adding 15-20 pounds without sacrificing athletic ability. Does appear to have good length for his size though, would guess close to a 74 to 75-inch wingspan. Ran a laser-verified 4.95 40 on a famously slower track at that same camp in January. 4.95 40 at that event is closer to a 4.80 hand time. The laser-verified shuttle is extremely impressive at 4.29. Also jumped nearly 30 inches in the vertical and over 9 feet in the broad jump. Strong downhill defender that loves hovering around the box and triggering to the football. Disruptive downhill football player who makes the majority of his impact in run support and as a zone defender. Has a very strong nose for the football in the run game and when closing to the football in space. Has a solid backpedal with quality body control that lets him get downhill quickly. Can see his explosive ability show up as a tackler and when he closes to the football. Confident zone defender that scans the field effectively. Looks to break up plays with his physicality rather than make plays on the football directly. Effective blitzer coming off the edge as well; comes up with pressure and forces quarterbacks to make mistakes with the football. Need to see more range from him as a back-half defender. Most of his work comes as a hang defender and underneath zone player that emphasizes his downhill ability. Not sure how much range he has as a deep half or centerfield player as a single high or split zone safety. Don't see much from him in man coverage either, but he has the fluidity and change of direction to function in that setting if he were to be asked to do it. Also think he triggers and closes to the football well, but not sure how great his top-end speed is when it comes to running sideline to sideline.
Graded Skills
0–10 Scale
- 7.4Size
- 7.7Frame/length
- 7Instincts
- 7.5Top-end speed
- 8Agility
- 8Burst to close
- 6.5Ball skills
- 7.5Backpedal
- 7.9Tackling/striking
- 8Physicality/effort

