Defensive tackle Jalen Carter of the Georgia Bulldogs is considered one of this year’s top NFL Draft prospects, even being touted as a generational talent by some.
The 22-year-old established himself as the most disruptive player on college football’s best defense, helping fire the Bulldogs to a second straight national championship. Such exploits placed Carter inside the projected top-five picks in the first-round of Thursday’s NFL Draft.
However, his stocks started to fall last month after he was booked on two misdemeanour charges in connection with a fatal car crash that took the lives of teammate Devin Willock, and a staffer of the Bulldogs, Chandley LeCroy. Mirror Sport has all the details for Carter, including his pre-NFL net worth, his highly decorated college football career and his off field controversy.
What is Jalen Carter’s net worth?
Carter is believed to have a net worth of $1.5million (£1.2m) despite his tender years. The DT has worked hard off the field to pick up a number of lucrative endorsements, and is expected to pick up many more when he actually enters the NFL.
The Florida-born college football star has endorsements with NASCAR Quaker State 400, Jalen Carter Football Camp, Sports Addiction and Bread Man Apparel, according to Sportskeeda .
Carter also picks up significant money in NIL (name, image and likeness) money. Being a five-star recruit and one of the most sought-after defensive tackles in college football, Carter’s NIL deal is said to stand at $1.2M (£960,000). There’s plenty of room for Carter’s net worth to grow, and he is unlikely to earn less than $10m (£8m) on a rookie NFL contract.
Jalen Carter’s college career
Carter, who stands at 6ft3in, had a dominant career at Georgia, winning back-to-back championships while being one of the Bulldogs’ leaders in defense. The DT was reliable in the injury department, playing in all but two games during his time at Georgia.
Impressively, Georgia went 37-3 in his three seasons playing for the team. Carter won the Peach Bowl as a freshman, and the 2021 and 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship in his final two seasons.
He was part of the Unanimous First-Team All-American and also made the First-Team All-SEC. Carter was a top-ten player in the country by some recruiting services and a top-five player in both Florida and at defensive tackle in the class of 2020 before joining the Bulldogs.
Jalen Carter controversy and concerns
There’s no denying Carter’s quality. He’s regarded as one of, if not, the best football players in this year’s NFL Draft. However, the player comes with some concerns, which has seen him drop down the pecking order ahead of Thursday’s picking process.
ESPN reports that there are concerns about his maturity and practice habits and that drafting him would need the pros and cons weighed up. Their latest draft projection has Carter heading to the Seattle Seahawks at No.5, which would be a good move for all parties, with the franchise in need of “an interior defensive lineman who wreaks havoc against the run and pass”.
The fatal car crash that Carter was involved in also raised concerns. Carter was unable to complete his pro day workout during the Combine and returned weighing nine pounds heavier.
