With Their First Pick In The 2023 NFL Draft, Eagles Select DT Jalen Carter

The Eagles, coming off a trip to the Super Bowl last season, pulled off a bit of magic thanks to Howie Roseman and found themselves entering the draft with not only the 30th pick near the end of the round, but also the 10th pick in the first round.

In a suprise move, the Eagles traded with Chicago for the No 9 pick in the NFL Draft when it became apparent their guy was sitll on the board.

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The Eagles head right back to Georgia, taking a defensive tackle from the team for the second year in a row.

Much like Jordan Davis last year, Carter offers the Eagles yet another huge body at 6’ 3’’, 315 lbs. He has the power and he has some burst. He’s had an incredible college career, racking up 83 tackles (18.5 for loss) and six sacks to go along with two forced fumbles and four batted passes in three years with the Bulldogs.

Also like Davis, there are concerns about his ability to be effective all game with him seemingly getting gassed throughout games.

That may be where the similarities end, however. Unlike Jordan Davis, who has proven to be a player attempting to approve himself and soak up whatever knowledge he can while contributing to the locker room, Carter may be the opposite.

Scouts note his maturity being an issue and while Jordan Davis was reportedly one of the few people to keep him in line at Georgia, should it really be the responsibility of the second-year man who’s trying to improve his own career to ensure that a rookie just one year under him is not only working to improve himself but also not being a locker room cancer?

Nearly every fan is now aware of his conviction of fleeing the scene in the case where he and his teammates were drinking and racing cars (resulting in a teammate and staff member dying), it was fairly hard to see the Eagles selecting Carter. Sure, the Eagles have taken on some “bad” personalities before, but this just seemed to rise to a whole new level – most of their players who have committed crimes have been swiftly removed from the team.

Also making this further a surprise is that Carter is a defensive tackle. The new defense continues to point to more and more 3-4 play rather than 4-3 play, so more outside bodies will be needed more than inside. The addition of Carter to a group that includes Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams and Marlon Tuipulotu in addition to the likes of Marvin Wilson and Kentavius Street just seems like a position that is actually too deep for the amount of guys they’ll be able to roster, so the versatility of guys like Williams and Cox to lineup outside will be critical to the roster makeup.

Carter has the physical tools to succeed and the Eagles are banking on his willingness to improve himself both physically and mentally throughout this season so that he can become a key contributor for this team moving forward.

Certainly a pair of college teammates should help him to adjust.