Second-round pick Bruce Carter said he's about "90 percent" recovered from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in college last December. The rookie linebacker agreed to contract terms Thursday night and did rehab work with associate athletic trainer Britt Brown during Friday's practice.
"Right now I'm (running) full speed," Carter said. "But it's more mental than it is anything just knowing that my knee's going to support me when I'm playing."
Carter will start on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list while he gets back to full strength. Besides adjusting to the general rigors of the NFL, his other challenge is getting acclimated to Rob Ryan's defense. He spent part of the morning walkthrough going over plays next to defensive quality control/linebackers coach Ben Bloom.
Carter will also take all the advice he can get from veteran inside linebackers Bradie James and Keith Brooking. Second-year veteran Sean Lee is rotating into the first-team defense.
"They're vets and they've been around a long time. You can learn a lot from them," Carter said. "Me being a rookie, I'm just getting my feet wet. I'm trying to learn a lot from them."
