Jalen Carter is a dream pickup for the Eagles if he somehow slides to ten
We are just hours away from knowing who the Philadelphia Eagles will select in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. With the 10th overall pick, one they acquired from the New Orleans Saints over a year ago, and another Philly is scheduled to make at the 3oth-overall selection, we have seen both speculation and debate about who the reigning NFC Champions will add to their nest when they are on the clock come Thursday night.
Eagles’ Executive Vice President and General Manager, Howie Roseman, has done a good job of keeping us all guessing. Rumors have swirled about players at almost every position. We have even heard a few trade ideas. Everything is in play.
There are theories, but seemingly, no player is a lock to be taken by any team. On draft night, all it will take is one surprise to disrupt the entire evening. No one knows who will be available for Philly when they’re finally on the clock, but we can identify who the perfect choice would be to send everyone home happy.
If the Eagles got their wish and the stars aligned, they’d be going home with Jalen Carter.
When we begin thinking of draft-night scenarios and perfect possible outcomes, few things top the idea of Philadelphia selecting Jalen Carter out of Georgia. Carter is an absolute freak on the football field. Seeing someone of his stature landing on an NFL roster as talented as the one in Philadelphia seems like a dream come true, an anomaly if you will.
He stands at six-foot-three. He weighs 314 pounds. This young man possesses freak athleticism for a player his size.
He could dunk a basketball when he was in the fifth grade, He played five different positions on the football field when he was still in middle school. Once he reached the prep level, he began playing running back and wide receiver before switching to the defensive line for his senior season.
During his past two seasons at Georgia, Carter has collected six sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss while winning two College Football Playoff National Championship Games as a member of the Bulldogs. He also earned AP All-American honors in 2022, and by the end of his NCAA football career, he was viewed to be a lock as a top-five selection in the coming NFL Draft, Some even said that he could be the first overall choice when the Chicago Bears still held the pick.
Jalen Carter being a disruptive player vs this double team allows his teammate to get a sack
— RanDynasty (@ran_dynasty) January 10, 2023
Top 5 pick 🔜 pic.twitter.com/muVr8CLK57
There’s another side to this coin. Carter’s draft stock has taken a hit since then. At the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, he made headlines for all the wrong reasons after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He faces misdemeanor charges for reckless driving and racing in relation to his involvement in a car accident that led to the accidental deaths of Georgia teammate Devin Willock and a team staffer, Chandler LeCroy.
Carter left the combine to turn himself in voluntarily but returned on the next day. He later accepted a plea deal that involved 12 months probation, a $1,000 fine, 80 hours of community service, and a driving course.
During the draft process, Carter and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus still believed that he would remain as a top-ten selection and that his client wouldn’t visit with any teams unless they had a top-ten draft choice.
While some may not be a fan of that strategy, it demonstrated his agent’s confidence in his client and Carter’s confidence in himself. Jalen has met with the Philadelphia Eagles, who are home to two of his former teammates, Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean.
Dean, Davis, and Carter were members of one of the greatest defenses in NCAA history. At just 22 years old, Jalen has the potential to develop into a future Pro Bowler and one of the league’s top defensive tackles.
Sure, he has done some damage to his reputation, but given a second chance he could succeed. The Eagles represent one of the best situations for him thanks to a locker room full of veterans, but they might be required to trade up and maybe leapfrog two or three teams to seal the deal.
If the Birds wind up getting lucky, Jalen Carter slides to ten, and the Eagles are able to add him organically, he’d be a perfect piece for the interior defensive line and a building block for the future. Fletcher Cox is one of the greatest Eagles of all time, but the former All-Pro is nearing the twilight of his career.
Still, it’s hard to deny that a rotation featuring Cox, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Kentavius Street, and Milton Williams would be something to behold. The idea alone will cause nightmares for opposing offenses and their coordinators and jumpstart potentially a decade of defensive success in the City of Brotherly Love.
