Underrated Buffalo Bills rookie a star to watch in 2024

While the Stefon Diggs trade could telegraph an offensive retooling, the Bills have found significant value on the defensive side of the ball in this year’s draft class, and will still be in the mix as long as Josh Allen is behind center.

General manager Brandon Beane and the Bills may have found a legitimate diamond in the rough in the middle rounds of this year’s draft.

Buffalo Bills’ DeWayne Carter named ‘Rookie Sleeper’ to watch

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports put together a list of the biggest sleepers in the NFL Draft who could be instant contributors this season, including Bills defensive lineman DeWayne Carter.

The Bills selected Carter No. 95 overall, out of Duke, on the heels of a 41-tackle senior season in which he finished with one sack and 3.5 tackles for loss.

However, Trapasso sees significant upside for Carter and the Bills defense, thanks to the 6-foot-3, 300-pound interior lineman’s 9.8 pressure creation rate over the past two seasons.

“Any number at or near 10 percent for a defensive tackle’s pressure creation rate is exceptional,” Trapasso writes. “And Carter managed to do it on nearly 800 pass opportunities in his final two years as a Blue Devil. And he nearly hit that 10 percent mark thanks to a variety of moves, loose hips, a first-step burst and sustained speed from the quarterback. On the first play of every game, Carter turned on the engine and it never stopped until the final whistle.

In Buffalo, Carter has the chance to push for immediate snaps and become a foundational top-seven player.