Former Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is one of the top players in the 2023 NFL draft.
Though he may no longer be the favorite to go No. 1 overall following the Chicago Bears trading the top pick to the Carolina Panthers, who are expected to take a quarterback, he’s still expected to be a top-10 draft pick.
In fact, Carter is so certain he’ll be taken within the first 10 selections that he has declined visits with franchises selecting outside the top 10.
“Scouts and executives around the league weren’t surprised,” ESPN NFL draft insider Matt Miller wrote, in regard to Carter’s decision to decline the visits. “‘More players should do this, honestly,’ said one college scouting director.”
Carter’s not going No. 1 overall anymore, but how far he’ll fall is the big question. Miller said NFL scouts and execs believe he’ll go as high as No 5 and as low as No. 9.
“When asked to predict Carter‘s landing spot, more than 10 scouts and execs polled believed he would be drafted at No. 5 (Seattle Seahawks) or No. 9 (Chicago Bears),” Miller wrote. “And no one polled thought he would slip out of the top 10 picks.”
And at No. 10 is the Philadelphia Eagles, who look to be the last possible landing spot for Carter.
“Yeah, and a lot of folks I’ve spoken to think Carter won’t fall out of the top 10 because the Philadelphia Eagles hold the 10th spot. … Plus, Carter’s former Georgia teammate, Jordan Davis enters his second year with the Eagles,” wrote Jeremy Fowler.
“Most agree that Carter would be best-served going to a team with a well-established culture of winning and accountability. He could of course go earlier than No. 10, but the Eagles might serve as a backstop.”
If the Eagles do take Carter at No. 10, not only would be it a huge steal, but he’d be paired with his former college teammates Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean.
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