Over the past two years, Jalen Carter, the decorated lineman from Georgia, established himself as one of the best defensive players to come through the NFL Draft in recent history.
After receiving first-team AP All-American and first-team All-SEC honors and helping the Bulldogs to two straight national championships, draft experts had Carter as a consensus top-five pick — and potentially, the top overall selection.
But after legal problems and a troubling showing at his pro day, Carter, 22, has been falling on prospect boards, leading some to speculate that he could drop out of the top 10 — or further — in the 2023 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday with the first round.
That’s despite the likes of Mel Kiper Jr., Mina Kimes and many others declaring him the most talented player in the draft.
After a solid sophomore season that earned him second-team All-SEC honors, Carter dominated during his junior year despite dealing with injuries.
Carter, a Apopka, Fla. native, notched 32 tackles, seven for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles while playing in just 13 games.
Scouts say Carter features elite speed and quickness for a player with his 6-foot-3, 300-plus-pound body, which should help him translate to a dominant interior defender against the run in the NFL.
But questions about Carter’s character grew loud earlier this year after he was linked to a deadly crash in Athens, Ga. on Jan. 14 following Georgia’s 2023 national championship win over TCU.
On March 1, Carter was charged with reckless driving for allegedly racing a vehicle carrying Georgia lineman Devin Willock and team staffer Chandler LeCroy, both of whom were killed when the car struck a power pole.
The news of his arrest broke during the NFL Scouting Combine, which only brought even more attention on the prospect and forced him to leave the event in Indianapolis to turn himself in.
Carter would later plead no contest to a misdemeanor charge and get sentenced to 12 months of probation, 80 hours of community service, a driving class and a $1,000 fine.
Less than a month later, Carter showed up to Georgia’s pro day nine pounds overweight, struggled with on-field drills and eventually suffered from cramping and cut out of the event early.
While it’s unclear where Carter will land as the draft approaches, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has said his client was only visiting with teams picking in the top 10.
Draft experts have pegged Carter as high as the No. 3 pick to the Arizona Cardinals.
Carter has reportedly met with the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.
Recently, Kiper Jr. said he won’t fall further than the Seattle Seahawks at No. 5.
Whichever team selects Carter will bring in a tantalizing talent, but plenty of questions with it.
