DeWayne Carter

Carter could force himself into a much bigger role. Buffalo's defense isn't dominant overall, but developing another disruptive interior player would significantly raise its ceiling.

Carter is useful because Buffalo can plug him into the dirty work at nose or ask him to rotate through an interior package. His rise depends on making the front sturdier when the stars need a break.

Strengths: Nose-tackle fit, interior versatility, opportunity for rotation snaps and scheme adaptability.

Weaknesses: Limited proven production and must hold up consistently against NFL double teams.

Carter has not had a clean runway since Buffalo drafted him in the third round. He got into 11 games and made three starts as a rookie, then injury recovery became the bigger 2026 storyline. The compact frame and Duke background still give him a chance to grow into a useful penetrating tackle, but he needs healthy snaps more than another projection. A five is honest: there is talent worth developing, but very little sustained NFL evidence yet.

Strengths: He has a dense interior build, good effort and the background to play an attacking one-gap style. Carter can get low, compete with his hands and showed enough early to earn three rookie starts.

Weaknesses: Injuries have slowed his growth, leaving only 11 career games to judge. He needs to improve block shedding and create tangible pressure or backfield production before he can move beyond a developmental rotational role.