Surrounded by family, friends and his agent, Delone Carter summed up the past year of his life with what amounted to a large exhale.

A little more than an hour after he was taken by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Carter, a former Syracuse running back, breathed a long sigh of relief. He was finally ready to start the next chapter in his life.

‘It feels good, man,’ Carter said in a phone interview Saturday. ‘It’s been a long journey. Now I’m just opening up a new one.’

The Colts selected Carter with the 22nd pick in the fourth round — 119th overall — of the NFL Draft on Saturday. He was the 11th running back to come off the board. Linebacker Doug Hogue was the only other member of last year’s SU team to be selected in the NFL Draft, going to the Detroit Lions with the 26th pick in the fifth round — 157th overall.

Notable Syracuse prospects not selected included linebacker Derrell Smith, center Ryan Bartholomew and punter Rob Long.

For Carter, being drafted marked the answer to all the questions. His agent, Wes Bridges, said there were questions about the hip he dislocated in 2007, causing him to miss an entire season. There were also questions about his character, after Carter pleaded guilty to a reduced harassment charge after allegedly punching a Syracuse student last year and was given a conditional discharge.

Carter admitted that an uneasy feeling crept through his mind after he thought he might get selected Friday in the second and third rounds. His name was never called on Friday.

But those questions all ended when he was the first running back taken from the Big East.

‘I was a little uneasy,’ Carter said. ‘I’m like, ‘Oh, man. I have to wait another day.’ But honestly, I was pretty much patient. And it paid off. My phone’s blowing up right now.’

In a press conference Friday to address his postspring practice depth chart, SU head coach Doug Marrone rifled off qualities he said would make Carter attractive to NFL suitors.

‘I think what an NFL team would see in Delone is his tough style of running,’ Marrone said. ‘(He’s) an every-down-type back. He’s physical. He can move the pocket. Good leadership ability. Doesn’t fumble. Carries the ball well. Those things.’

Bridges said he received interest from all 32 NFL teams about Carter. In the end, Carter joined a Colts team with arguably the best quarterback in NFL history in Peyton Manning. He also joined one that looks to be rather crowded in the backfield.

Injuries and the lack of a clear No. 1 running back forced the Colts to go with a committee approach last season. Veteran Joseph Addai led the team with 495 rushing yards. Second-year back Donald Brown of Connecticut was right behind with 471. Mike Hart showed promise in limited late-season attempts.

Carter said he wasn’t worried about playing time. In talking with the coaching staff, including head coach Jim Caldwell, he said he would be willing to get on the field whatever way possible. Especially playing with a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Manning.

‘It’s crazy. It’s definitely an honor,’ Carter said of playing alongside Manning. ‘He’s one of the greatest to do it at quarterback. He’s a general. I can’t wait to learn from him and pick his brain.’

Hogue goes to Lions

Doug Hogue was reading a story about himself. He saw his name in The Journal News on Sunday: ‘Doug Hogue has been drafted to the Detroit Lions.’ Humbled but jubilant, Hogue still almost couldn’t believe it actually happened.

‘My parents picked up a copy of The Journal News today, and it’s still amazing,’ Hogue said. ‘It’s like, ‘Wow. This is real. This is really happening.”

Hogue was the second and final Syracuse player to be selected in the 2011 NFL Draft on Saturday. He joined Carter as the only other member of the Orange to hear his name called. He went 157th overall to the Detroit Lions in the fifth round.

Hogue said he was anxious Saturday after nearly three days of waiting. When he heard his name called, he and his family rejoiced at his sister’s house in Yonkers, N.Y.

Lions linebackers coach Matt Burke told reporters after the selection that Hogue will likely see time at both the strong- and weak-side linebacker positions, as well as some time on special teams. He said Hogue was the type of player the Lions wanted.

‘He plays in space a lot, he’s walked in the slot, he covers ground, he can cover running backs and does all the sort of things that we look for in that position,’ Burke said.

bplogiur@syr.edu

Published on May 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm