Welcome to the NFL young beginner! After being important players in their universities, rookies must once again earn their places in the pros. Who are they and what hopes do they raise? Come and discover these new gems.
Jalen Carter
Born April 4, 2001 in Apopka, Florida
1m91 for 142 kilos
Defensive tackle, Philadelphia Eagles
Athletically Jalen Carter was in the top 3 of the best prospects of the 2023 draft. However, he had to wait for choice number 9 due to off-field concerns. Now in a locker room full of experienced players, the Eagles are banking on his ability to develop his game while waiting for the man to mature.
If I was a starter in the NFL: pass rush
In his first NFL game, Jalen Carter showed his full potential as a pass rusher from inside the line. What followed only confirmed his ability to win duels in the trenches with his speed of movement and his arm movements.
Pressures, sacks and forced fumbles, Jalen Carter plays the full range of the best defensive tackles.
If Jalen Carter was a quality: explosive
Jalen Carter has extraordinary execution speed for a player of this size. For his NFL debut, he only sprints towards the quarterback while passing through the opposing offensive lines!
Sudden and aggressive from the moment he engages the ball, he also offers a lot of power: he was also an accomplished weightlifter among Florida high schools.
If Jalen Carter was a flaw: increase his number of sacks
In 2021 Jalen Carter signs 24 pressures with Georgia and he reproduces an identical score in 2022! In the NFL, he shows the same ability to disturb the quarterback but like in college, he rarely signs a sack. But putting the quarterback on the ground not only stops the action but also causes the opponent to lose yards!
Easier said than done knowing that opposing offensive lines most of the time (69%) detach two players to try to contain him. His work then benefits his teammates and indirectly his play is decisive.
His room for improvement is to have a direct impact more often. Considering his first four games, he is on the right track: 21 pressures (1st among defensive tackles) plus 10 QB Hits and 1.5 sacks! Jalen Carter could have a double-digit production in terms of sacks: like the player’s rookie season below.
If Jalen Carter was an NFL player: Ndamukong Suh
Powerful and incisive, the two players offer many similarities. Recruited with the 2nd pick of the 2010 draft, Ndamukong Suh instantly rewarded the Lions with 10 sacks! He recorded 36 sacks during his five seasons in Detroit, before also playing in Miami and Tampa Bay.
His 13th and final NFL season was with the Eagles in 2022.
If I were a project: rejuvenating the interior of the defensive line
Three years in a row that the manager has been rebuilding the interior of Philly’s defensive line. At 32 years old, Fletcher Cox is undoubtedly playing the final and twelfth season of his NFL career. Howie Roseman therefore used the draft to recruit Milton Williams (3rd round 2021), Jordan Davis (1st round 2022) and Jalen Carter (1st round 2023).
Fletcher Cox is still the man in the middle, being lined up on 70% of defensive plays. With the departure of Javon Hargrave, the Eagles rotate the three young people to accompany him: Carter (47%), Williams (39%) and Davis (41%).
Jalen Carter offers a complementary profile with that of his former teammate at Georgia, Jordan Davis: his speed blends wonderfully with the power of his partner. Enough to calmly consider the future for this squad.
If I were a course: fast on the pitch but also off it
A 5-star recruit in 2020, he was considered the 9th high school player in the country (Bryce Young 1st). The University of Georgia had to battle with the University of Alabama to recruit him.
Performing well in his first season (9 pressures and 2 sacks in just 287 snaps), he won the following two by being a major player in the two championship titles won. Sportingly, Jalen Carter has followed a constantly ascending trajectory towards the heights. On a behavioral level, however, there were many upheavals.
Where his teammate Nolan Smith was praised for his exemplary behavior, Jalen Carter was more the type of player that his coaches sometimes had to shake! Not always motivated to give 100% in training and matches.
Then came this evening of January 15, 2023 when he drove at high speed in the streets of Athens: in the vehicle with which he was racing, two people died in an accident. Flashed at 160 km/h, Jalen Carter was driving with a suspended license following another speeding violation dating from July 2022! In that case, Carter was sentenced to 12 months of probation, 80 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine. He is still being sued in civil court by the father of one of the victims.
Jalen Carter needs to focus on speed down the field and down the field only.
