Eagles Today

Eagles' Nolan Smith Stands Up for Jalen Carter Amid Uncertainty: 'That's Not Him'

The two first-round picks of the Philadelphia Eagles met the Philly media for the first time on Friday.

Ed Kracz

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PHILADELPHIA – Jalen Carter was one of the best defensive players in the 2023 NFL Draft, if not the very best.

Those skills have been put to the test since the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him ninth overall on Thursday night, trading up one spot to No. 9, to be sure they got him.

All he’s done since is play defense, defense against charges of his lack of passion for the game and questionable character, with the kind of red flags you see at the Jersey Shore when a rip tide is present.

There was a report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on Friday that Georgia coaches had nothing good to say about him to NFL teams who came calling.

It’s all in the past now, and his best approach right now would be to focus on the present and let that dictate his future. Because it’s bright, if he can outrun his past and leave it there.

Another good approach would be for him to become quick and fast friends with Fletcher Cox, the resident, and arguably, the greatest defensive tackle in Eagles history.

Jordan Davis emulated Cox growing up.

Carter said it was Aaron Donald he watched the most, but gravitates toward veterans, counting Nolan Smith, who the Eagles took 21 picks after selecting Carter.

“Just like at Georgia, I looked up to the veterans, just like Nolan he's a veteran to me, Jordan Davis, Travon Walker, all them guys, I looked up to them guys and followed behind them, and they taught me every step of the way and they got me where I'm at now,” said Carter.

Cox has been in the league for a dozen years. He has become a Yoda of sorts, and Carter would be wise to lend more than just an ear, but both ears.

He has a fresh start, and he is in a place that has the infrastructure to make it happen, including, now, Smith.

The bond of friendship between Carter and Smith came through early in their news conference Friday evening.

As they sat on the stage inside the auditorium at the Eagles' South Philly training complex, they hugged and slapped hands with some form of handshake that you have to know to do, and one they no doubt practiced during their college days. Smith knows Carter well enough that he said he doesn’t call him Jalen, but JC.

“I always stood up for him just because it’s not him,” Smith said. “JC is one of those guys you can really count on to not only do his job but do his job plus more and then come dap you up and get everybody hyped up. 

"That’s the type of player he is. He’s one of the best guys to hang around, be around, and I think I can’t wait for him to take me to dinner.”

Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.

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Ed Kracz
ED KRACZ

Ed Kracz has been covering the Eagles full-time for over a decade and has written about Philadelphia sports since 1996. He wrote about the Phillies in the 2008 and 2009 World Series, the Flyers in their 2010 Stanely Cup playoff run to the finals, and was in Minnesota when the Eagles secured their first-ever Super Bowl win in 2017. Ed has received multiple writing awards as a sports journalist, including several top-five finishes in the Associated Press Sports Editors awards.

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