Despite abundant questions surrounding his maturity, former Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter believes he’s still a top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Carter was projected to potentially go No. 1 overall for several months during a dominant junior season with the Bulldogs, but concerns about his weight, in addition to facing charges of reckless driving involving the death of a former teammate in an apparent street racing incident, have given some teams pause in their evaluations of him.
Nonetheless, Carter has made it known that he won’t meet with teams picking outside the draft’s top 10. He visited with Chicago (who’s picking ninth) on Tuesday, and has already met with Philadelphia (picking 10th) as well, per ESPN.
“I’m confident Jalen will go in the top 10,” his agent Drew Rosenhaus said regarding his choice to neglect teams outside those slots. “He’s a good person, a family man, loves football and is a generational talent.”
Carter’s talent is undeniable according to Shannon Sharpe, but for the “Undisputed” cohost, he needs to bring more to the table than natural ability.
“There’s some red flags here … and it’s hard to overlook them,” Sharpe said. “Money exacerbates a lot of problems. This young man had two months to get in peak physical condition. And I’m afraid that when I give him money he’s not going to be starving anymore. …. During the season, he was starving. He was universally regarded as the No. 1 pick. You watched him in games, he could take the game over. But you started to see something in some of those bowl games, and teams are looking at him like ‘is he playing not to get hurt?’
“And then he shows up at the Combine and doesn’t work out. … He’s out of shape and out of condition, like you should have been. And so that’s a red flag for me, that if I give this kid 20, $30 million, is he still starving? … This is very concerning about this young man, because there should be no questions. No question he’s a top 10 talent, but I’m concerned about the work ethic.”
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Carter has been invited and will attend the NFL draft, which kicks off April 27 in Kansas City.
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