Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is declining visits with any teams selecting outside the top 10 in this month’s NFL draft, agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Carter is scheduled to visit the Chicago Bears, who will pick ninth, on Monday. It will be his second visit after previously visiting the Philadelphia Eagles, who have the No. 10 pick.
“I’m confident Jalen will go in the top 10,” Rosenhaus told Schefter. “He’s a good person, a family man, loves football and is a generational talent.”
Carter was invited to the NFL draft, which will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, this year and plans to attend.
Carter’s draft status is clouded after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing last month in connection with a fatal crash in January. He was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service and will attend a state-approved defensive driving course. His attorney, Kim Stephens, said that, by resolving the matter, the state of Georgia is forever barred from bringing additional charges against Carter.
In a statement to ESPN, Stephens said Carter did not cause a car wreck on Jan. 15, in which Georgia football player Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed. Police alleged that LeCroy was driving an SUV that was racing Carter’s SUV before the wreck. According to police, LeCroy’s SUV was going 104 mph when it left the road and hit two power poles and several trees. Police said her blood alcohol concentration was .197, about 2½ times the legal limit in Georgia.
According to Stephens, Carter had not been drinking alcohol and was not under the influence of alcohol or any illegal substances.
Meanwhile, Carter weighed 323 pounds at Georgia’s pro day last month — 9 pounds heavier than he was at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. He opted to do only position drills — which he didn’t finish — and didn’t participate in other aspects of the workout, including the 40-yard dash, cone drills and other physical tests.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Carter being selected by the Detroit Lions at No. 6 in his most recent mock draft.
The 6-foot-3 player was a unanimous All-American in 2022. He earned All-SEC first-team honors and was named a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation’s top lineman.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.
