DeWayne Carter, IDL Duke: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Carter was a three-star recruit from Pickerington High School Central in Pickerington, Ohio in the class of 2019

Duke defensive lineman DeWayne Carter had inconsistent tape in 2023, but his flashes make him worth selecting in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Carter will be participating in the Senior Bowl this week.

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DeWayne Carter, IDL Duke: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior defensive tackle from Pickerington, Ohio

Background: Carter was a three-star recruit from Pickerington High School Central in Pickerington, Ohio in the class of 2019. He was the No. 517 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 496 for On3.com. Carter was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. In high school, he led Pickerington to an Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division I State Championship as a junior. As a senior team captain, Carter amassed 83 tackles, including eight tackles for loss and five sacks. He received First Team All-State honors from the Associated Press, the Columbus Dispatch’s All-Metro Team Defensive Player of Year award, and a selection on USA Today’s American Family Insurance All-USA Ohio Football Team. Carter earned All-Conference and All-District selections twice. As a junior, he totaled 70 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss. Carter also played baseball at Pickerington, earning First Team All-Central District and First Team All-Ohio Capital Conference-OHIO honors. In college, he served as a member of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee Student-Athlete Connection Group for the 2021-22 season. Carter’s father lettered three times with the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1993-95 as the team went 30-7-1 and won the 1993 Big Ten championship. His grandfather, Raymond Carter, lettered eight times from 1955-58 in football and track & field at Youngstown State University. He set school records with a 9.7 100-yard dash and a 23-foot broad jump. He was inducted into the Youngstown State Hall of Fame in 1997. DeWayne Carter’s uncle, who is also named Raymond Carter, lettered three times at Notre Dame from 1983-85 as a fullback. DeWayne Carter was born on December 10, 2000.

Injuries & Off-Field: Leg injury vs. Virginia Tech in 2022 but didn’t miss time

Awards: 2021 Third Team All-ACC, 2021 Team Captain, 2022 Second Team All-ACC, 2022 Third Team All-American (College Football Network), 2022 Team Captain, 2022 Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team, 2023 First Team All-ACC, 2023 Team Captain, 2023 National Football Foundation (NFF) Hall of Fame Class

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt coverage, field goal block, and field goal units, charity and community work, leadership, good body composition, explodes out of his stance, uncoils and drives power through his hips, slants and overpowers centers, hand placement helps establish leverage, hands constantly fight to maintain positioning, hip flexibility helps with bend, powerful arm extensions, quick hands, heavy hands, powerful swipe to clear the lineman’s hands, spin move, swim move, club-swim, club move, cross-chop, long-arm move, powerful leg drive for bull rush, agility helps finish plays in the backfield, gets hands in passing lanes, history of forcing fumbles, motor runs hot, high effort in pursuit, solid open field speed, comfortable working blockers laterally to contain the run, spins back into the action

Cons: Arm length is good but not great, length disadvantage sometimes pops up, frame might be tapped out, first step can be refined, pass rush production plummeted in 2023, hand placement is sometimes high and leads to hands slipping off pads, spin and swim move need polishing, pass rush arsenal should diversify, needs more hand counters, limited counters mid-pass rush, instances of being overpowered in the run game, inconsistent shedding blocks to close gaps and stop the run, struggles to separate from blocks in a timely manner, up and down performance against double teams in the run game, speed limits pursuit upside, tackle radius leaves plays on the field, dove and missed Drake Maye several times (2023), ended up on the ground several times vs. Florida State (2023), burst and power seemed to fade late against Duke and Florida State (2023)

Overview: Carter has roughly 480 special teams snaps split across the kick return, punt coverage, field goal block, and field goal units. His more than 2,100 defensive snaps came all across the line, including at 5-tech, 3-tech, 2-tech, 2i, 1-tech, and even some reps at 0-tech. According to Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, Carter is 6'2 1/2" and 305 lbs. The redshirt senior defensive tackle is heavily involved in charity and community work and has significant experience as a locker room leader. He will be a positive presence at the next level. Carter is far from the thickest defensive lineman, but his body composition is impressive, especially when paired with his agility, power, and speed. He explodes out of his stance and uncoils to drive power through his hips. Carter slants down and overpowers centers with his upper body strength and leg drive. His hand placement and height help establish leverage. Carter’s hands constantly fight to maintain their positioning. He has nice hip flexibility that allows him to bend a bit and turn the corner on guards. Carter has quick and heavy hands to complement his powerful arm extensions. The three-star recruit uses powerful swipes to clear the lineman’s hands. His pass rush arsenal includes spins, swims, clubs, club-swims, cross-chops, and long-arm moves that benefit from his powerful leg drive. Carter’s bull rush pairs well with his heavy hands and pop. While he missed several chances to bring down Drake Maye (2023) against North Carolina, Carter has the agility to finish plays in the backfield more often than most defensive tackles. He gets his hands in passing lanes when he fails to reach the quarterback. The All-ACC selection’s motor runs hot, especially in run defense. He gives plenty of effort in pursuit and has solid open field speed. Carter is comfortable working with blockers laterally to contain outside runs. There are times when he anchors well against double teams, but, more often than not, it’s a struggle for him to hold his positioning. He’s rarely completely wiped out by double teams, but they usually push him off the line and prevent him from redirecting to the ball. There are instances of him being overpowered in the run game. He is inconsistent shedding blocks to close gaps and stop the run and struggles to separate from blocks in a timely manner. Carter’s arm length is good but not great, which limits his tackle radius and leaves some plays on the field. His burst and power seemed to fade late in games in 2023, and that’s concerning for a player with his size and skill set. The college veteran’s pass rush production plummeted in 2023. He’ll need to answer some questions about these concerns in meetings. Carter’s length disadvantage occasionally pops up while he’s attempting to rush the passer. His frame might be tapped out, and his hand placement is sometimes high, leading to his hands slipping off the offensive player’s pads. Carter’s pass rush arsenal needs to diversify, and he must build more hand counters into his rush plan.

Overall, Carter’s flashes of heavy hands, powerful leg drive, and fluid hips as a pass rusher are promising, but his burst and power disappeared at times this past season. Carter is a quality run defender who wins with his leverage and motor, but he’s not immune to being overpowered and displaced. He has one of the more diverse sets of potential outcomes in the upcoming class.

Role & Scheme Fit: 3-tech in an even front

Round Projection: Mid Fourth to Mid Fifth

Size: 6'3", 305 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 01-14-24