Draft Darlings: DeWayne Carter has disruptive tools at defensive tackle

The Duke prospect could raise the floor of the Chiefs’ pass rush from the inside

Early this offseason, it appeared the Kansas City Chiefs’ interior defensive line could be entirely lost through free agency. An intentional effort was made to retain everyone from defensive tackle Chris Jones to veteran nose tackles Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel.

In fact, the Chiefs have put together a good mix of nose tackles when you include Neil Farrell Jr. and Isaiah Buggs as options to help eat up space on the inside. That rotation can be a positive for the Chiefs’ run defense.

The pass rush did not improve from inside. Jones will still dominate, but he has only Tershawn Wharton to spell him as the unit’s explosive gap shooter; Wharton was re-signed after just two sacks and a pressure rate of 6.7% last season. This is the role that keeps the door open for the Chiefs to address defensive tackle in the draft.

It could be a role to wait until Day 3 to target. If that’s the case, Duke defensive tackle DeWayne Carter has intriguing capabilities as a pass rusher and overall disruptor from up and down the line. Here’s what to know about Carter:

Background

From Pickerington, Ohio, Carter was a force on the defensive line in high school. By his senior year, he was good enough to earn The Columbus Dispatch’s All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year. His skills also translated to the baseball diamond, earning first-team All-Conference honors in that sport as a senior.

As a three-star recruit, he committed to Duke and quickly made an impact in the locker room. By his redshirt sophomore season in 2021, he was a team captain and a third-team All-ACC selection. That makes the past year his third being a captain; he was first-team All-ACC and honorable mention All-America. He ended his collegiate career with 12 sacks, 24.5 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles, and 11 passes defended.

In 2023, Carter also received the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award, given to the football conference’s top student-athlete. He was also a William V. Campbell Trophy finalist, sometimes called “the Academic Heisman.” In addition to studies, a commitment to community service is required in order to win. For most of his time in school, he served on the ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Carter entered the 2024 NFL Draft and accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. At the NFL Combine, Carter measured in at just over 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 302 lbs. His lack of height is reflected in his arm length of 33 inches, but he boasts enormous, 11-inch hands. That is in the 97th percentile for defensive tackle prospects historically.

For the athletic testing, Carter had good results in the 40-yard dash (4.99 seconds) and the explosive drills, like a 32-inch vertical in the 80th percentile for his position.

Film evaluation

The Blue Devils’ defense relied on Carter as a versatile defensive lineman, someone who can blow up run plays on the inside, penetrate the front of the pocket, and even rush off the edge at times in obvious passing situations. He led all Duke defensive linemen in snaps each of the past three seasons.

Carter is at his best when he is on the attack. As a pass rusher, he gets off the ball with a plan, looking to use his massive paws in the best way to make a crease into the pocket. He has an effective hand swipe — seen here to set up a spin move — and makes room for himself when he clubs a lineman’s shoulder.

When Carter is firing out, he can generate power because he plays with good leverage naturally. He constantly gets under offensive linemen’s pads and drives his legs to muddle the backfield, even if he doesn’t make a play.

In 2023, Carter aligned outside the offensive tackle on 17% of his defensive snaps. It was a way to maximize Duke’s pass rush because Carter is athletic and intelligent enough to attack from the edge. He is a wrecking ball on inside stunts in these situations but has the hand skills to keep a tackle honest in his pass set.

He is an active run defender, staying aware of the ball location and constantly working to be involved in the tackle. He won’t surrender to a run block, swimming and spinning until he finds a way towards the ballcarrier.

His high activity is necessary because Carter appears to lack some upper-body strength. This prevents him from shedding blocks once an offensive lineman gets his hands settled into a run-block engagement. His eyes and legs will work toward the ball, but he will get locked up with the blocker up top and sometimes fail to come off and make a play.

How he fits with the Chiefs

Carter will be a Day 3 option for the Chiefs on draft weekend. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler graded him as the 12th-best defensive tackle in the class and a fourth or fifth-round prospect.

The tools are there for Carter to outperform that draft position. He is a B-gap penetrator who can work as a pass rusher up and down the line. In Kansas City, he would look to fill a similar reserve role as Tershawn Wharton — and I believe Carter could be the more impactful player at some point in the near future.

That would make him the understudy to defensive tackle Chris Jones for the rest of his legendary career. His intelligence on the field shows up and translates off the field, too: his résumé, in that respect, points to a committed individual who will use his platform and NFL contract for great causes. That’s always a plus for Chiefs fans.