Florida defender Zachary Carter’s long wait during Friday’s NFL Draft ultimately was worth it.

Cincinnati selected the Gators’ defensive lineman in third round with the No. 95 pick to help the AFC champion Bengals beef up their defense and support an explosive offense led by star quarterback Joe Burrow.

The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Carter produced while lined up both inside and outside during his college career. He finished 2021 as a fifth-year senior with 32 tackles, including 11 for loss — eight of them sacks.

Carter returned to school to raise his stock. Watching the draft’s first three rounds from family’s home, the 22-year-old Tampa native will not have to wait until Day 3 of the draft to hear his name called.

Carter will go from a Gators program coming off a 6-7 season to a Bengals team on the rise after an exhilarating postseason run ended with a 23-20 loss in the Super Bowl to the Los Angeles Rams.

Carter and cornerback Kaiir Elam, selected No. 23 by the Buffalo Bills Thursday, are the two Gators drafted through two days. Tailback Dameon Pierce, linebacker Jeremiah Moon and offensive tackle Jean Delance are hopefuls during Rounds 4-7 on the final day.

Carter is the fourth Gators’ defensive lineman selected among the top 100 picks since 2018, joining Taven Bryan (No. 29, 2018), Jachai Polite (No. 68, 2019) and Jabari Zuniga (No. 79, 2020).

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @osgators.

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