Zachary Carter Scouting Report

Background

Name: Zachary Carter

Position: EDGE

School: Florida

Height: 6’3 5/8″

Weight: 287 lbs

Class: Redshirt Senior

DOB: 4/7/99

Games Watched: 2021 – Alabama, Florida Atlantic, Florida State

Strengths:

An incredibly powerful defender and force to be reckoned with, whether he’s lined up at 3 or 5 tech in the Gators defense
Wins at the point of attack in a variety of ways
Has violent hands that disrupt blockers while attempting to get to opposing quarterbacks
Combines his bull rush with a variety of pass rush moves that consist of a solid spin move and a dominant long arm technique
Has the versatility to line up across the defensive line and play at a serviceable level

Areas to Improve:

Good but not really dominant at either 3T or 5T, making him a bit of a tweener. Carter focusing on position would be huge for his stock
Plays with a relatively high pad level, which causes him to get washed out in the run game at times. If he could get the pad level more consistent we could see him become a much more complete player.
Athleticism is a bit of a question, which comes back to him being a bit of a tweener. He isn’t quite explosive enough as a true EDGE, but isn’t quite big or strong enough at IDL.

Grade:

EDGE	Trait Grade
Explosiveness	65
Pass Rush Plan	60
First Step	55
Strength/Power	65
Run Defense	30
Motor	60
Tackling/Pursuit	50
Bend	45
Frame	50
Versatility	65

Ceiling/80:

Total:	6.97
Round Grade:	3rd

Grading scale can be found here.

Summary:

Carter caught my eye early in Mobile with his power and I had to see more. The former Gator is a good player who has displayed versatility across the defensive line in his college career. Teams will like Carter’s versatility and size and see him as a project player to build around. Carter should be able to carve himself into a decent role at the next level. Teams will fall in love with his pass rush tools as he has quite the arsenal of moves. He may be nothing than more a nickel rusher early on, but once he refines some of his technical issues he should be able to develop into a solid starter. Carter will find his best fit on teams that run multi-front looks and allow him to be moved around as a chess piece on the defensive line.

Follow Hunter on Twitter @hthompsonNFL.