Duron Carter, son of Hall of Famer Cris Carter, to work out for Chiefs

It appears the Chiefs will begin their quest to upgrade a flagging wide receiver corps by taking a close look at the son of a Hall of Famer at the position.

A source confirmed to The Star on Monday that receiver Duron Carter, son of former Minnesota Vikings star Cris Carter, is scheduled to work out for the Chiefs on Wednesday. Carter, who has already worked out for the Buccaneers, will work out for the Colts on Tuesday and the Vikings on Thursday.

The news was first reported by Matt Miller of Bleacher Report.

The Chiefs could use some help at receiver, as they became the first NFL team since 1950 to fail to record a single touchdown by a wide receiver all season.

Although rookie Albert Wilson showed promise and late-season addition Jason Avant brought some veteran savvy, No. 1 receiver Dwayne Bowe might be a cap casualty given his large salary ($14 million cap number) and average production (60 catches, 754 yards).

Meanwhile, No. 2 receiver Donnie Avery was hampered by a core muscle injury most of the season, and other youngsters like Junior Hemingway and Frankie Hammond failed to make much of an impact.

That’s why an intriguing young talent like Carter, 23, might be a good fit. At 6 feet 5 and 205 pounds, Carter is described by Miller as a “big, explosive receiver who adjusts to the ball well” and is “jaw dropping, physically.”

Carter has spent the last two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. This season, he overcame an early high ankle sprain to lead the Alouettes with 75 receptions for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns, all team highs. The year before, he caught 49 passes for 909 yards and five touchdowns.

The NFL now appears to be the next step for Carter, whose whirlwind football career has been filled with highs and lows thus far. He began his career at his dad’s alma mater, Ohio State, catching 13 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown in 12 games as a true freshman in 2009, but left for Coffeyville Community College in Kansas due to academic troubles.

At Coffeyville, he caught 44 passes for 690 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2010 and signed to play with Alabama but was wasn’t academically eligible in 2011, and was suspended from the team in spring 2012 before he left the program.

Carter then landed at Florida Atlantic but again failed to become eligible, and he departed to play professional ball in 2013.

Carter’s sideways path to the NFL vaguely mirrored that of his father, who also starred at Ohio State and was eventually ruled ineligible before his senior season for taking improper benefits.

Unlike Cris, however, who dealt with a well-publicized drug issue early in his NFL career, Duron’s issues have reportedly been related to his maturity and academics.

“He didn’t commit a crime, he has no tattoos, he has no kids, and he’s a pleasant kid. His thing is he hates school, though,” Cris Carter told USA Today in April 2013. “And I’m his dad. He’s really bright; he’s got an IQ over 130. He just hates school. We gave him the pretest on the Wonderlic. He got a 28.”

Duron made himself eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft, but was not selected. He landed a tryout with the Minnesota Vikings, but did not make the team.

That’s how he landed in the CFL, where he’s managed to resuscitate his career and revive comparisons to his legendary father, whose excellent hands and competitiveness helped him land in the Hall of Fame in 2013.

“Eventually I would like to be out of the shadow of Cris Carter,” Duron told NFL Films in 2013. “But that’s a big shadow, and not a bad shadow to be under, at all.”

Carter, of course, would not be general manager John Dorsey’s first foray into the CFL for talent. The Chiefs signed prolific Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Weston Dressler last offseason, but released him during training camp.

This story was originally published January 5, 2015 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Duron Carter, son of Hall of Famer Cris Carter, to work out for Chiefs."