Eagles' Jalen Carter 'Was in Consideration' for Seahawks in Draft, Says GM Schneider

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider revealed that now-Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was a viable candidate to be his team's pick at No. 5 in the 2023 NFL Draft.

To draft, or not to draft former Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Jalen Carter?

It was perhaps the biggest question surrounding many of the teams selecting at the top of the 2023 NFL Draft last month, including the Seattle Seahawks. But with Carter still on the board once the No. 10 pick came closer, the Philadelphia Eagles answered the former.

Philly traded up one spot with the Chicago Bears to No. 9 to select Carter in a move that was labeled either a steal or a huge risk right off the bat. Regardless, a player once considered to be the No. 1 overall pick landing with the defending NFC champs was certainly interesting.

Meanwhile, the first of Seattle's two first-round picks was spent on Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, spurning both Carter and Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson, who were heavily connected to the Seahawks during the pre-draft process.

So, why not Carter? Was he even on Seattle's draft board after being charged with two misdemeanors or had he been removed entirely?

Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show, Seahawks general manager John Schneider was directly asked about the subject and addressed those questions.

"We had a great visit with Jalen when we brought him in here," Schneider said. "He was in consideration, we just felt that Devon was a better fit for us."

The Seahawks held a top-30 visit with Carter in April, giving them a chance to evaluate his character on an individual level - and evidently walked away impressed.

However, the same proved true for Witherspoon, who also had a "great visit" with Seattle, per Schneider. And in the end, Witherspoon won out, seemingly checking more boxes for the franchise than Carter.

"The physicality is what really stood out about Devon," said Schneider. "Obviously, Jalen has a ton of natural talent. There's a couple true blue and green players - that means you have the grit and you're a green guy, meaning that you are a Seahawk and he had all of those things and so we went for it."

Does this mean that Carter didn't have both those things? Perhaps, but that's not up to us to say - maybe he did, but Schneider and the Seahawks staff simply fell in love with Witherspoon to the point where he was clearly above Carter on the draft board.

Of course, that's merely speculation ... but the fact of the matter is that Witherspoon is a Seahawk while Carter fell to the Eagles at No. 9.

The two teams will meet this December, when Carter's Eagles travel to Lumen Field for a matchup with Witherspoon's Seahawks - and while it projects to be a matchup between two potential playoff teams, there's an underlying storyline that will date back to April's draft and promises to entertain for years to come.

---

You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.

Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here