Potential Eagles prospect Jalen Carter struggles at Georgia’s Pro Day
Sometimes, it pours when it rains. No one knows that more than Philadelphia Eagles fans. This is, by no means, an attempt to kick a man while he’s down, but Jalen Carter‘s head has to be spinning right now.
A little over a month ago, there were seemingly these foregone conclusions that he was the most talented football player of the next NFL Draft class. He was also everyone’s guess to be the top player taken during April’s selection meeting.
It seemed he’d be a dream pick for the Philadelphia Eagles. We had all resigned ourselves to thinking that he would be off of the board when Philly was on the clock with the tenth-overall selection.
Fast forward to the most recent NFL Scouting Combine, and following his involvement in an unfortunate off-field tragedy, an arrest warrant was issued that forced him to turn himself in. He was unable to participate in any on-field drills in Indianapolis as a result.
Theories were birthed that suggested his draft stock would be affected and, as a result, it was now a realistic theory to believe he could fall to the Birds at ten, but those theories may be altered in light of some recent news.
Don’t look now, but sadly, Jalen Carter is, again a news story. Sadly, again, it’s also for the wrong reasons.
Might the Eagles take Jalen Carter off of their draft board entirely now?
The start of the new league year and the Georgia Bulldogs Pro Day had something in common this year. They both were scheduled for March 15th. Representatives from all NFL teams were present.
Jalen Carter needed a nice showing. Unfortunately, he didn’t provide one. Reports coming out of Athens state he was nine pounds heavier than he was at the NFL Combine. To make matters worse, he was physically unable to finish his day.
ESPN Senior Writer Mark Schlabach reports Carter opted against running the 40-yard dash and wouldn’t tackle any cone drills. He would participate in position drills but didn’t take any physical tests.
Carter was reportedly “cramping up” and “breathing heavily”. So, here we are. We’ve gone from believing the Eagles were out of the Jalen Carter sweepstakes to hearing he was a possibility at ten to now… who knows?
Stating the Eagles need to take him off of their draft board feels a bit premature, but if they’re still eyeing him, they’ll most certainly need to do their research. This could place another dent in his draft stock, and for a team that needs to hit on every pick, especially a pair in the first round, that may be enough to make Philly steer clear.
