Hall of Fame GM thinks this Bills rookie ‘fits a need perfectly’

“Mr. Buffalo” may not have quite the same ring to it as “Mr. Duke,” but if a Pro Football Hall of Fame executive’s assessment is any indication, DeWayne Carter will have plenty of time to find a new nickname in Western New York.

The defensive tackle, whom the Buffalo Bills selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, established himself as a fan favorite throughout his four years at Duke, making 125 total tackles, 24 .5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks en route to becoming the first triple captain in program history and earning the affectionate nickname “Mr. Duke.”

He has a personality that’s definitely a fit for a Buffalo team that values ​​character so strongly and obviously, and according to Bill Polian, he’ll fit in perfectly on the field as well. The prominent executive, who served as general manager of the Bills from 1986 to 1992 and built the team that went to four straight Super Bowls from 1990 to 1993, praised Carter during a recent interview with WGRZ’s Vic Carucci, suggesting the rookie would fold effortlessly. in what Buffalo already does defensively.

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“DeWayne Carter fills a need perfectly,” Polian said. “There had to be another defensive tackle who could rush. . . He’s an active, give-and-take defensive tackle, exactly the type they play with. A vice presidential candidate for Ed Oliver. He’ll step on the field and he’ll play a rookie role.

At 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, Carter is a solid defender who can both generate an interior pass and defend against the run; according to Pro Football Focus, he has 25 total pressures and 19 run stops during the 2023 season, this after a 2022 campaign in which he achieved career highs in pressures and run stops with 52 and 24, respectively.

He’s not only a long-term piece for the Bills, but he could, as Polian alludes to, see the field as a rookie; Buffalo generally likes to rotate its defensive linemen, and the 23-year-old currently projects as, at worst, the team’s fourth defensive tackle.

That said, it’s hard to imagine him playing alongside Ed Oliver right off the bat. Oliver has established himself as a consistent interior pass-rush generator over the past few seasons, his emergence fueled, at least in part, by the presence of DaQuan Jones; With Jones signing a two-year extension with the Bills this offseason, it’s hard to imagine the team wanting to break up that duo as soon as this year. A possible duo composed of Oliver and Carter is, however, appetizing.