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Cornerback Alex Carter eyes the ball during a defensive back drill at Detroit Lions rookie minicamp.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Had Alex Carter been a stubborn or rebellious child, he might be playing wide receiver. It's also fair to say he probably wouldn't be preparing for his rookie season in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.

Carter's father, Tom, is like any other parent -- he wants what's best for his children. That's why the former NFL cornerback, a first-round draft pick for the Washington Redskins in 1993, has long steered Alex toward playing defense.

"Ever since I was about seven or eight, he'd go out every summer with me and work on my backpedal, work on my breaks, train me what to look for when I'm playing corner," Alex said.

At Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Va., Alex played on both sides of the ball. As a senior, he led the team with 48 receptions, scored a pair of touchdowns on kickoff returns and intercepted two passes playing defensive back.

Some recruiting services listed Alex as an athlete, and while he believes he could have played receiver at the collegiate level, Tom reminded his son that his best chance of making it in the NFL wouldn't be catching passes, but intercepting them.

The younger Carter summed up his dad's advice: "He was like, 'You can go play receiver in college and in the pros, but you might only be average because you're only six-foot. Or you can be a corner and go make big money.'"

A three-year starter at Stanford, Alex Carter declared for the draft after his junior season. Had he stayed, put together a strong senior campaign, some analysts feel he could have merited first-round consideration.

But after cracking the starting lineup his first year at the school, the plan was always to come out early.

"I came to Stanford kind of knowing if I was going to start as a freshman, I wanted to be out in three years," he said. "I stuck to my plan. I feel like I'm going to keep progressing. I'm young, I'm 20. I'm going to keep getting better every day."

He was eventually selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round, when the team traded up eight spots to snag him No. 80 overall. Carter's four-year rookie deal will pay him up to $3.058 million.

After the team made the selection, Lions defensive backs coach Tony Oden raved about Alex's size, length and strength, just like Tom had envisioned.

Going through rookie minicamp last weekend, Alex immediately noticed the increased complexities of a professional defense, but wasn't overwhelmed with the pace.

"It's the next level, but I feel like I can pick it up pretty well because of where I came from and we did run the pro style," he said. "I'm used to making all the checks and adjustments."

One area Carter is placing an emphasis on this offseason is making the most of his turnover opportunities. He finished his college career with just two interceptions, admitting he had eight catchable picks bounce off his hands just last season.

Maybe dad was right about Alex's best fit being at defensive back for more reasons than one.

"I just have to finish plays," Alex said. "I'm still working on that now in the offseason and forever more."

Not that he misses playing offense.

"I love defense," he said. "I love to hit. I'd rather be the one hitting people than being hit, so I was cool with it."

Detroit Lions 2015 rookie mini-camp - May 10, 2015 30 Gallery: Detroit Lions 2015 rookie mini-camp - May 10, 2015

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