Why Jalen Carter May Tumble Down Lions Draft Board

Jalen Carter is reportedly the subject of an arrest warrant in Athens.

The Detroit Lions have mostly stayed away from players with behavioral difficulties away from the football field. 

One of the top prospects coming out of college is Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Jalen Carter. 

On Wednesday, it was reported the talented defensive lineman is the subject of an arrest warrant in Athens. 

Carter was reportedly present at the scene of a tragic automobile accident earlier this year that killed teammate Devin Willock and football staffer Chandler LeCroy.

According to the ACCPD investigating the fatal vehicle crash, "As a result of the ongoing investigation into the January 15, 2023 fatal crash that occurred in the 900 block of Barnett Shoals, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department has secured arrest warrants for Jalen Carter, 21, for Reckless Driving and Racing. 

"The investigation found that Chandler LeCroy, driver of the 2021 Ford Expedition, and Jalen Carter, driver of a Jeep Trackhawk, were operating their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing shortly after leaving the downtown Athens area at about 2:30 AM." 

At his season-ending media session, head coach Dan Campbell was asked about what his message would be to his young team throughout the course of the offseason regarding their behavior. 

“Be smart, be safe. Be smart and be safe. I don’t want to go to any funerals, none of us do," Campbell explained. "So that’s the message, and in the meantime, we’ll be getting a hold of our guys, our coaches will. We’ll stay in touch. They know to, they’ll stay in touch with us, but it’s really as simple as that, man. Be smart. It’s not worth it. 

"Trouble starts, go the other way, all those things, and that’s really it right now. We’ll get into the later part of this. This is literally one day out of it, so we don’t want to get into, ‘Hey, the offseason program starting.' We’re just, ‘Hey, we just wrapped something up, and let’s give them a minute to breath, and then we’ll get to that later.’”

Over the next several weeks, it will be interesting to observe how teams now view Carter, as some teams, including the Lions, may shy away from selecting a player who may have demonstrated reckless behavior resulting in serious consequences. 

Carter is no longer in Indianapolis for the annual scouting combine, as he was scheduled to meet with the media on Wednesday morning. 

It was been reported Carter met with several teams on Tuesday evening before departing. 

Jalen Carter is subject of arrest warrant in Athens after being implicated by police for racing in the crash that took the life of former teammate, and UGA staffer. pic.twitter.com/2TC0DS40sO

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) March 1, 2023