The Philadelphia Eagles got some serious value taking Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the No. 9 overall pick in the first-round of the 2023 NFL draft on Thursday night.
Carter was widely considered one of the top, if not the best, prospect in the entire draft, but off-the-field concerns likely caused a drop down the board.
USA TODAY Sports’ Eagles Wire gave their analysis of Carter’s selection.
“There was talk of teams like Las Vegas taking Carter off their draft boards, but he lands with a gold-standard organization filled with solid veteran mentors. On offense, Carter will have Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and A.J. Brown, among others, to lean on. Defensively, he’ll be surrounded by solid and high-character veterans.”
The former five-star prospect is coming off an All-American season for the Bulldogs as an anchor on the defensive line, racking up 32 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles as a junior.
“Carter is versatile and can play on the edge, giving the Eagles even more depth and rotations.”
