Jets Scouting Combine Target: Duke Tackle to Improve Run Defense?

The New York Jets will be keeping an eye on a number of pro-football prospects

who they believe have the potential to help the team compete for a postseason position in the upcoming season, as the

NFL Scouting Combine gets underway in earnest on Tuesday. Even though it will

be difficult to bounce back from a miserable 7–10 loss, the Jets must rebuild

a strong attack around starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Nevertheless, the Jets, who had the third-best defense in the league the previous

season, are not going to pass up the opportunity to improve. They might

therefore want to focus on a group of talented defenders who have the

potential to have an instant impact on an NFL front seven.

Accordingly, Duke defensive tackle DeWayne Carter may be a name to

monitor for the Jets in the week’s leading up to April’s Draft.

Carter projects as a 3-tech defensive tackle and is well-known for his ability to stop the run. He recorded 11 sacks and

87 tackles in his four years with the Blue Devils, 21.5 of which were for a loss.

Carter is a physically strong player who can hold a double team thanks to his

stature (6-3, 355). He totaled 548 snaps in 12 games for the Blue Devils in 2023 as a

fifth-year senior. Carter racked up 15 stops, 10 assists, and 19 tackles. He

finished the season with 22 total pressures as a pass rusher, including 3

quarterback hits, 2 sacks, and 17 quarterback hurries. Even though the

Jets are rumored to be in dire need of assistance at safety, acquiring It would

be wiser to add talent to their interior defensive line. The Jets finished the

season ranked No. 2 in pass defense, but they fell to No. 25 in run defense, giving

up 14 running touchdowns and an average of 124 yards per game. The Jets

could need some assistance on the interior line line despite having one of

the finest players in the NFL in Quinnen Williams, Quinton Jefferson’s upcoming

departure, Al Woods’ free agency, and Jayln Holmes’ unrestricted free agency.

Carter is still a work in progress when it comes to pass defense, but if chosen, he

might see action for New York as a reserve run defender.

Carter’s impressive performance at this year’s Senior Bowl may have increased

awareness of the Combine. The ACC product won all of his one-on-one

contests during the practice week, including a Thursday morning bull rush

that knocked an opponent’s offensive

tackle off his feet. In addition to being a

natural run stopper, a player with Carter’s height and instincts would make

it easier for linebackers and edge rushers to pressure opposing passers. On

Thursday, measurements and workouts for defensive linemen and linebackers

are expected to take place at Lucas Oil Stadium.