For Markell Carter, there was no singular moment where the light bulb went on.

An athletic marvel to his coaches at the University of Central Arkansas, Carter played some defensive end — as well as wide receiver — for most of his first two years of his collegiate career. He was a solid, dependable presence for a Bears’ team, but at the same time, he was a player who was looking for a niche. It was only after a full-time move to end as a junior that it was clear that something started to click, according to Central Arkansas defensive coordinator Matt Williamson.

“He really started to work hard at it after two years, and about the middle of his junior season, the light came on — and it hasn’t gone off yet,” recalled Williamson. “He probably saw it as a sophomore, but just didn’t have that extra gear he needed. By the time he was a junior, that gear was there.”

That extra gear allowed Carter to go from being an accessory to a central part of the Central Arkansas defense. He started all 12 games as a junior and a senior for the Bears — in 2009, he was fourth in the league with 6.5 sacks and sixth with 11.5 tackles for loss. As a senior, he was All-Southland Conference after finishing with 62 tackles, 5.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. As a result, the 6-foot-4, 248-pounder was taken in the sixth round (194th overall) by the Patriots in last month’s NFL draft.

Williamson, who has been the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at UCA since 2008, said the Patriots have landed themselves the sort of player they can be proud to call their own, both on and off the field.

“I can tell you that he went through the whole program here and not one time has he gotten into trouble,” Williamson said of the 21-year-old Carter. “He’s always on time, he does the right things, he’s real diligent with how he represents himself — both on and off the field — and he works really hard at what he does as a football player. Succeeding at football is an important goal for him. He’s the type of person who will always strive to get better and improve. Every day.”

That desire allowed Carter to evolve over the course of his college career. As he became more entrenched as a dependable force for Central Arkansas on the defensive side of the ball, he became more comfortable as a pass rusher, using his speed and athleticism to his advantage. And while he might not have the resume of some of the high-profile pass rushers who were available in the draft, Carter has good numbers nonetheless, with 15.5 sacks over the course of his final three seasons at UCA.

Before the draft, much was made about the Patriots need to take a pass rusher. With the understanding that he’s still a relatively raw product, Williamson suggests the Patriots might have found a late-round surprise in that department in Carter, who projects as an outside linebacker in New England’s 3-4.

“He’s a great pass rusher, I’ll tell you that right now,” Williamson said of Carter. “He’s never really played much outside linebacker in the 3-4 — we did mess with that a little bit — but he was hands’ down our best pass rusher. We had our best chance to win when he was rushing the passer.

“He’s a very, very good pass rusher — he will get after quarterbacks and cause pressure. If I’m playing to win a game, he’s going to be the guy I want coming after the quarterback off the edge.”

Williamson praises Carter’s high motor, as well as his ability to be “sort of slithery” when it comes to avoiding blockers.

“He’s one of those guys who will be noticed because he plays hard and he plays fast. I can’t compare him to anyone in the NFL — they all play like that there — but there’s no doubt he will get noticed. There’s no doubt,” Williamson said. “He has speed and athleticism and he’s hard to block. He’s not elusive, just sort of slithery. A lot of guys have had trouble blocking him. He’s hard to get hands on him.”

With the Patriots, Carter will be thrown into the mix at outside linebacker — for New England, it’s a combination that includes Rob Ninkovich, Tully Banta-Cain, Jermaine Cunningham and Marques Murrell. Barring an addition in free agency, it certainly appears he will get an opportunity to make an impact sooner rather than later at the NFL level.

“We will definitely miss him,” Williamson said. “He was a great player and a good leader while he was here. He was just one of those guys who does everything right all the time.”