Eagles Today

NFL Draft Expert Doesn’t Think Jalen Carter Will Get by Eagles at No. 10

Could the Philadelphia Eagles add another former Georgia star to their defense?

Tim Kelly

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A year after drafting Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean with two of their first three picks in the NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles might have an opportunity to select another former Georgia Bulldog with the 10th overall pick. 

Jalen Carter has already had a pre-draft visit with the Eagles, and his agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN's Adam Schefter this week that Carter isn't going to meet with any teams that aren't picking in the top 10.

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah has theorized that the reason Carter and his representation have made this decision is that some team with a top-10 pick has guaranteed him that they will select the defensive lineman if he's still on the board when it's their turn to pick. And Jeremiah thinks the Eagles might be that team: 

From a talent perspective, it would be a steal to get Carter at No. 10. He was first-team All-SEC and a unanimous All-American in his third season at Georgia. Jeremiah has Carter ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect in the class, while The Draft Network has him at No. 4 and Pro Football Focus at No. 2. 

But the reason that Carter is even a candidate to fall to the Eagles at 10 is because in March he was "charged with reckless driving and racing in connection with a crash that killed a teammate and a recruiting staff member." 

Carter proclaimed his innocence in a statement on social media, and ultimately paid $4,000 to bail himself out of jail: 

Mind you, all of this happened during the NFL Combine. That made Carter's pro day on March 15 especially important, and things didn't go well there. Carter had gained nine pounds just since the NFL combine, and ultimately was unable to complete his position drills because he wasn't in physical shape to do so. 

A day later on March 16, Carter pleaded no contest to both charges. In doing so, he was hit with a $1,000 fine, 12 months of probation, 80 hours of community service and a requirement that he needed to "attend a state-approved defensive driving course." But charges no longer linger over Carter, as ESPN's Mark Schlabach noted that the state of Georgia isn't allowed to introduce any further charges against him. 

The question that the Eagles and other potentially interested teams need to ask themselves is whether they believe that Carter will stay out of trouble moving forward. 

Certainly there's a scenario where Carter plays for the Eagles and helps them continue the tradition of having ferocious defensive line play that's been at the forefront of their recent success. But there's also the possibility that Carter gets into more off-the-field trouble in the NFL, at which point any organization that selects him will be left with egg on their faces and tough questions to answer. 

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Tim Kelly
TIM KELLY

Tim Kelly is a contributor to SI's NFL team sites. Additionally, Kelly covers the Philadelphia Phillies as the Editorial Director for PhilliesNation.com. Previously, Kelly has been a producer at SportsRadio 94 WIP and a content producer for Audacy Sports, with written content syndicated to WIP, WFAN, WEEI and some of the biggest sports radio stations in the country. Kelly also has contributed to Bleacher Report, Just Baseball, Sports Talk Philly and Section 215, FanSided's Philadelphia affiliate. Kelly is a 2018 graduate of Bloomsburg University, with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in political science. 

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