HoosierCat Posted April 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 A standout football and basketball player in high school, Zachary Carter held offers from nearly every prominent college football powerhouse in the country. After redshirting in 2017, Carter cracked the Gators’ defensive line rotation in 2018, his role grew in 2019, and he started in his final two seasons. While the Florida defense was a disappointment in 2021, Carter emerged and played his best football. Carter is a versatile defensive lineman that features a balanced skill set against the run and pass. He projects best as a 4-3 defensive end but has plenty of experience playing in the B-gap, which he should get chances to do in the NFL to maximize his ability to shoot gaps and rush from the interior. Carter has good length and plays with active hands, low pads, and thrives in tight quarters. When it comes to areas of concern for Carter entering the NFL, he is more of a linear athlete with modest flexibility. He will need to stay committed to developing his hand technique so that he can soften edges to get off blocks and make plays. Carter has the makings of a quality rotational defensive lineman with inside/outside versatility. Ideal Role: Base end that gets chances to reduce inside Scheme Fit: 4-3 FILM EVALUATION Written by Joe Marino Games watched: Tennessee (2021), Alabama (2021), Kentucky (2021), FAU (2021) Best Game Studied: Alabama (2021) Worst Game Studied: Kentucky (2021) First Step Explosiveness: Carter has sufficient get-off but he’s not overly explosive. His game is about maximizing his length and playing with power and not as much about sudden bursts. He is still an effective gap-shooter but shouldn’t be expected to run circles around offensive tackles. Flexibility: Carter is more of a linear athlete than a player that is going to thrive with change of direction skills and his ability to spring in different directions. He can turn the corner on soft edges but won’t be confused as overly bendy. He has sufficient flexibility for the expected roles he will fill at the next level. Hand Counters: Carter’s hands are active and his moves are generally well-timed. He does well to utilize his length and deploy his hands to get off blocks. He still has room for growth when it comes to deconstruction of blocks but the foundation of traits necessary to develop are present. Length: Carter has sufficient length which is a big component of his game. He is effective at using his length to play with extension and position himself to disengage. With that said, he can do more in terms of tackling outside of his frame and using his length to affect passing lanes. Hand Power: Carter has good pop in his hands and his strikes are firm. Blockers do not easily displace his hands, which speaks not only to his hand power but how effective his timing and placement can be. There are impressive reps where he’s able to establish his hands and clear his pads despite not winning with first contact. Run Defending: Carter’s length, functional strength and consistent leverage enable him to be an effective run defender. He can be trusted to set the edge and squeeze gaps. With that said, his modest lateral quickness limits his ability to crash down and pursue from the backside when opportunities are present. Effort (Motor): From my exposures to Carter, I never came away with a concern about his effort on any given play. With that said, I didn’t often feel like he was unrelenting in his effort and pursuit of the football. He has commanded a notable percentage of the snaps for the Florida defense over the last two seasons. Football IQ: Carter is an experienced player and it shows. He is a sound processor with good play-recognition skills. His low pad level and consistent technique speaks to his commitment to fundamentals. Lateral Mobility: Carter is a more linear athlete where his lateral quickness and change of direction skills are only modest. There are reps where he can crash down the line of scrimmage or work toward the sideline in which I came away underwhelmed with his ability to close that distance. He’s best in tight quarters. Versatility: Carter is a balanced defender that can rush the passer and play the run. He is versatile by alignment, which Florida has definitely tapped into. He has played in every alignment from the B-gap out. He has appeal as a base end that can reduce inside and play interior gaps. Prospect Comparison: Jalyn Holmes (2018 NFL Draft, Minnesota Vikings) SCOUT GRADES TDN Consensus: 75.17/100 (Third Round Value) https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/zachary-carter/wyjwkbS5zA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShulaSteakhouse Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 More of a DT in their plan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COB Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 3 minutes ago, HoosierCat said: Some evaluators like his girth Let’s fucking go! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMPHAR Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Hit interior rusher there. I would rather have Winfrey but whatever. Hitting needs and hopefully going to get production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stripes Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Okay. I don't know the player at all, but the need is obvious. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COB Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Looking forward to seeing the Browns waste this pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Trapasso: Grade: C+ Big-body heavy handy rusher with moments of impressive burst/bend. Not a refined pass rusher. Inside-out flexibility. If he plays inside mostly in Cincinnati, I like this more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 ESPN: Pre-Draft Analysis Carter is a tweener strongside defensive end/3-technique. He's quick with active hands and good length, but he's not an effective counterpuncher at this point. He doesn't have the flexibility or closing speed to regularly get to the quarterback rushing off the edge. He's at his best shooting gaps as a run-defender. He's light for an interior defensive lineman and gets covered up when blockers are able to latch on to his frame. -- Steve Muench Post-Draft Analysis After playing primarily defensive end at Florida, Carter is likely to kick inside in Cincinnati. In need of depth along the defensive line, Carter has inside-out versatility that has upside as a pass-rusher and ready made run-defender. -- Jordan Reid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShulaSteakhouse Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 3 week old comment says he'll be a steal, fwiw: (says he was misused as an Edge at FL) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMRN8sp_3x4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Yeah Andrew said the same on the twitters: Carter's first season playing significant snaps at Florida he mainly played 3T (2019): 73.2 PFF Grade 83.2 Run defense grade 20 pressures with 4 sacks I thought the Gators had someone on their hands and they did nothing with it but instead bounced him outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 9 hours ago, ArmyBengal said: Meh So… I will 100% trust Marion Hobby on this. Over PFF. With all due respect to PFF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 8 hours ago, HoosierCat said: Trapasso: Grade: C+ Big-body heavy handy rusher with moments of impressive burst/bend. Not a refined pass rusher. Inside-out flexibility. If he plays inside mostly in Cincinnati, I like this more. He’s 100% gonna be inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Also, I really like the pick. Maybe because I was so down on Winfrey. i think carter has untapped potential. If they had gotten Winfrey, not sure any growth left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Mel’s not a big fan of the pick: I see defensive tackle Zachary Carter as a backup, not a starter, so the Bengals taking him at No. 95 is a reach. I know they have a need there, but I don't love reaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Good thread from a few weeks back: https://twitter.com/bengalscoutjoel/status/1511504941361233922?s=21&t=mr2r5bceIm6J1dmdoBXbFw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 1 hour ago, HoosierCat said: Mel’s not a big fan of the pick: I see defensive tackle Zachary Carter as a backup, not a starter, so the Bengals taking him at No. 95 is a reach. I know they have a need there, but I don't love reaching. How many end of third round picks project as immediate starters? That’s an odd criticism. There was no one we were gonna pick there who was going to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Was BJ hill projected as a starter in his draft? IDL is a position that you see what you have over years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stripes Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Super Bowl teams don’t tend to draft three new starters to open a draft if you knawmsaying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COB Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 One pre draft theme was that they went heavy after offensive linemen in free agency, so the draft will skew towards the defense. Very accurate as it turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 1 hour ago, Stripes said: Super Bowl teams don’t tend to draft three new starters to open a draft if you knawmsaying. right? RIGHT? I mean, what the heck. Carter looks perfect for rotation w/ Hill and appears to have some upside. Looks good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMPHAR Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 There is 500-700 snaps open. This guy will be on the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GapControl Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 6 hours ago, Stripes said: Super Bowl teams don’t tend to draft three new starters to open a draft if you knawmsaying. That’s a good point Mel is ignoring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GapControl Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 4 hours ago, AMPHAR said: There is 500-700 snaps open. This guy will be on the field. We’ll see him and ossai with more samples this year. Shaping up to be a serious battle for playing time in the defensive room at all levels. Love the competition they’ve created Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stripes Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 The pass rush will receive [hopefully] a boost from at least three new sources, one of which is often forgotten: Zach Carter Joseph Ossai Wyatt Hubert Hubert might not make the roster, but we don't actually have a clue yet what he can bring to the table. Maybe he brings something good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COB Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 7 minutes ago, GapControl said: That’s a good point Mel is ignoring Mel has to comment on like 200 draft prospects. He does his best but to come up with something to say, no doubt he ignores a lot of variables. I still can never watch Mel without thinking about Irwin Mainway of Mainway Toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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