Jalen Carter – Defensive tackle – 21 years old – Junior – Georgia
Size : 1.91m
Weight : 142kg
Estimated draft position: top 10
Stats 2022: 32 tackles, including 7 for loss, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 passes defended
NFL Comparison: Quinnen Williams/Fletcher Cox
Possibly the best player of the vintage, an overpowered, agile and versatile defender, he was undoubtedly destined to be the first player selected, excluding quarterbacks. He will have to answer for his disputes with the law which hover like a black cloud above his head.
Strong points
– Power
– Agility
– Versatility
– Pedigree
Weighed and measured during the combine, Jalen Carter displays 142 kg on the counter. And to see him play, not a single gram seems superfluous. Carter is a rare athlete in the combination of his mass and his agility. A human being of his weight shouldn’t be able to show such fluidity.
His first is clinically quick and consistent, which will surprise even the most experienced guards starting slightly before the snap. It is surprisingly light on its feet and manages to generate incredible power in a fraction of a second. A weightlifter in high school, Carter is blessed with inherent power in his build, magnified by his snap explosiveness.
Beyond his qualities of power, he shows an incredible ability to move in space and lateral speed, which allow him to change his angle of attack in no time. Carter can change direction as suddenly as a defensive end 20 or 30 pounds lighter. Attributes that make it a nightmare for opponents in the racing game.
Ultra versatile, he can play 0, 1, 3 and 5 techniques with ease, dominating inside and outside. He is a natural and instinctive pass rusher, who finds himself in the opposing backfield with disconcerting regularity. So the raw statistics do not do justice to its disruptive character. At his peak of development, he will have to be taken at two on all snaps.
Enduring in the effort, there also surprising for his weight, he will play on three attempts and will rarely leave the field. A 5-star prospect fresh out of high school, Carter was dominant at every level, going all the way to being the top defenseman in the college championship’s top defense alongside a host of future pros.
Weak points
– Lack of experience
– Stance
– Legal troubles
Football-wise, you have to really dig to find Jalen Carter’s weak points. The first would be his lack of experience, having only played a full season as a starter, the fault of a defense of Georgia rich in talents. He’s been on the flank for five games this year with a knee injury, which will need to be monitored by his future franchise. All resulting in a statistical summary a tad weak for a player of this level.
Although taller and wider than 99% of humans on the planet, he is rather short-legged. An atypical physical proportion which can make him vulnerable on the upper body, especially when he does not make the effort to bend closer to the ground. He will also have to make use of his full range of moves and rely less on the front crawl, his preferred gesture, which exposes his chest.
In the passing game, he seems to alter the opposing game plans with instinct and talent, without really planning his attacks. The level difference being naturally smaller in the NFL, he will have to approach the game in a more cerebral way to dominate with as much regularity as at university.
It is especially outside the field that the shoe pinches for Carter. He was the subject of a warrant for his arrest as part of an investigation into a car accident that claimed the lives of his teammate Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy, a staff member at the University of Georgia. According to the arrest warrant, Carter was driving another vehicle and racing the one against the one the victims were in.
Carter surrendered to police and was charged with dangerous driving and motor racing, two offenses in the state of Georgia, before being released on bail. Since the alleged facts took place before he was an NFL player, he will not be subject to a suspension from the league. But a conviction could jeopardize his early career, not to mention the legitimate questions about the decisions that led him to find himself in such a situation.
Possible destinations
Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears
It’s very simple, there isn’t a team in the NFL that couldn’t make use of Jalen Carter. He is the prototype of the modern lineman, versatile and able to destroy the opposing game plans by his mere presence on the field. He was, before his arrest, certain to be the first non-quarterback selected. Of certainty, he is no more. If he was less strong, it would not have been surprising to see him chosen on the third day of the draft.
But Carter is good, very good, and the NFL has already shown that it makes exceptions for exceptional players. The Cardinals, Seahawks, Lions and Raiders will have a hard time turning their backs on him if he’s still available. As for the Bears, whose most pressing need is to protect Justin Fields, the temptation will be great too if Carter drops all the way to the 9th pick.
