Cincinnati Bengals select Florida defensive lineman Zachary Carter in 2022 NFL Draft

With the No. 95 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals have selected Florida defensive lineman Zachary Carter in the third round. Carter is a strong and flexible prospect on the defensive line, allowing him to fill multiple defensive roles for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Carter was a former four-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus rankings, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. He played high school football for Hillsborough, and is a Florida native who played all four seasons of his college career with the Gators.

Carter notably was among players who considered sitting out for the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, as he lost friends of his family to the pandemic. Ultimately, Carter decided to play and led the Gators for the season with five sacks and recorded 9.5 tackles for a loss. He continued his dominance into the 2021 season by starting all 12 games for the Gators and recording 11 tackles for a loss with eight sacks. He did not play in Florida’s bowl game due to NFL draft preparations.

What NFL draft analysts are saying about Zachary Carter

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein views Carter as a versatile player who has all the physical tools needed to play defensive line at the NFL level. Despite his size and strength however, Zierlein doesn’t believe he has played up to his talents on the field and is a questionable run-stopper.

“Carter is viewed as position versatile, with the ability to play defensive end in an odd or even front,” said Zierlein. “His skilled hands and quick feet make him a perfect candidate to move inside in nickel packages as a rusher. Some evaluators like his girth and envision him adding weight to become a full-time three-technique in a one-gapping front. Carter possesses the anchor for the point of attack, but needs to improve his stack-and-shed technique to make more plays in the run game. He’s a skilled, thoughtful rusher, but a fluctuating motor creates inconsistencies on tape. The sum doesn’t always equal the parts, but he has the size and skill to become a quality starter with splashy, interior rush potential.