Film Breakdown: What Third-Round Pick Zachary Carter Brings to Bengals' Defense

Cincinnati took Carter with the 95th overall pick in last month's NFL Draft.

Author:
Mike Santagata
Publish date:
May 10, 2022 9:12 AM EDT

The Bengals took Zachary Carter in the third-round (95th overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft.

He was a 4-star defensive end recruit from the state of Florida that went on to play for the Gators at the University of Florida. The 23-year-old started his collegiate career as a redshirt, before becoming a 4-year contributor for the Gators.

In his redshirt freshman season, he blocked a kick. In his sophomore season, he compiled 4.5 sacks. Then his junior season he led the team in sacks (5) and tackles for a loss (9.5). His senior year was by far his best campaign. Carter had eight sacks during his final season at Florida.

This shows positive growth from year-to-year, while also showing that even though he’s an older prospect, he produced at a young age. He’s a strong defensive end/defensive tackle hybrid who could contribute right away for the Bengals. Let’s dive into the film and see who he is as a player.

What He Does Well

Florida Gators defensive lineman Zachary Carter (6) walks into the stadium during a football game between the Florida Gators and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. October 9, 2021. Flagi 100921 Gatorsvandyfb 46 — © Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Carter has impressive upper body strength and the ability to steer blocks. When he’s blocked by tight ends he absolutely dominates them. He also uses this strength to lock players out and read the running back’s intentions.

He can quickly work inside and outside and showcases fairly good agility for a big guy. He can use this to beat over and under sets by offensive linemen along with the ability to work as a looper or penetrator on stunts.

Carter has 33.5-inch arms and has shown the ability to utilize it in the form of a long arm bullrush. This is his main move when pass rushing and he has even shown some moves off of it that he can utilize as a change-up. His long arm typically pops the offensive lineman on initial contact. He has commonly driven them back into the lap of the quarterback.

His secondary move seems to come with his club move. He has great upper body strength and this shows in his club move. He will knock offensive linemen off of their track and work inside or outside of them. He typically pairs it with a swim or rip move to disengage from the block.

Carter has a good feel for stringing moves together. He flashed some impressive combinations to work against offensive linemen typically utilizing a long arm stab to start the move set. If he can carry this into the NFL it can be utilized to beat some of the better offensive linemen out there.

Versatility to play across the defensive line in various alignments. He played everything from 1-technique to wide 9-technique, although I think his best spots will be from a 5 technique to a 3 technique in the NFL. He doesn’t have the size to play nose tackle and doesn’t have the elite get off to play way outside of the tackle, so he should be at his best tight to the tackle or outside of the guard.

Areas of Concern

Sep 18, 2021; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators defensive lineman Zachary Carter (6) celebrates against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports — Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Carter doesn’t have the first step or anticipation to really challenge offensive linemen with his get off. It’s just not there and while maybe he can still make it work as a pass rusher as a technician, however, it does reduce his ceiling for me.

Despite his nice size, he hasn't shown a consistent anchor in the run game. His narrow base and upright playstyle led to him getting pushed around from time to time. He has flashed an impressive anchor on double teams and other blocks, but it’s inconsistent.

His long arm bull and overall play strength are inconsistent because he has high hand placement and pad level. He needs to lower both his pad level and his aiming points with his hands to reach his full potential.

Overall Thoughts

Mar 5, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida defensive lineman Zach Carter (DL03) during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports — Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Carter has the versatility to play everything from 5-technique to 3-technique at a high level. He can moonlight as a 7-technique at times and maybe even as a 1-technique nose tackle, but he should find his home just outside of the tackle to just outside of the guard.

As a pass rusher, there is plenty to like with Carter. He's shown high level hand usage, but it’s brought down by his hand placement and pad level. When he connects his long arm into the offensive linemen’s chest, he showcases high level power and can dominate these players, but for every hit, there's a miss where his hand hits the shoulder pad.

On the reps where he hits the shoulder pad, he ends up not moving the offensive lineman or generating pressure. He is also able to string together some moves off of his long arm such as a stab-club-rip combination. He doesn't have a great feel for the timing of when to start these combinations, but he does seem to know how to string the moves together. If he can keep developing the timing, placement, and usage, he can have some really impressive pass rushes. Lowering his pad level should make his hand placement better and allow him to use his strength more. He also has the agility to work as both a penetrator and looper on stunts or to punish over and under sets by offensive linemen.

In the run game, he can utilize his upper body strength to dominate players at times, especially when he's blocked by a tight end. His length and upper body strength work together to lock offensive linemen out while he reads the play. The agility he shows in the pass game still works here in the run game as well. He can quickly cross face while also having the quickness to slant and work run stunts as well. His tackling helps him a lot in the run game because he rarely misses when he beats the block. He needs to widen his base, lower his pad level, and fix his hand placement and he could be a very good run defender.

Scheme Fit

If everything goes right, Carter should take a lot of the snaps left by Larry Ogunjobi, although I wouldn't expect him to take the full load. He’s not the same style of player because he doesn’t have that elite type of get off, but he can play the position differently and could be a positive contributor in year one.

Carter could become a starting piece for the defensive line in the future, but needs to fix his base, pad level, and hand placement.

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