Jalen Carter, IDL Georgia: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Carter was a five-star recruit from Apopka High School in Apopka, Fla. in the class of 2020

Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter could fall in the 2023 NFL Draft because of off-field concerns, but he is a blue-chip prospect. In terms of pure talent, the junior is either the best or second-best player in this year’s class.

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Jalen Carter, IDL Georgia: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior defensive tackle from Apopka, Fla.

Background: Carter was a five-star recruit from Apopka High School in Apopka, Fla. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 18 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 49 (four-star) for Rivals, and No. 14 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 12th in the nation with a 90 grade out of 100. Carter played defensive tackle, tight end, and punter in high school. He led Apopka to a 12-1 record and an appearance in the FHSAA Class 8A Championship Game as a high school senior. Carter amassed 64 tackles, including 12 sacks, as a senior. He was selected for the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game. Carter also competed in basketball and weightlifting. He placed second in the FHSAA Class 2A heavyweight division with a bench press of 395 pounds.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed two games in 2022 with an MCL sprain, pulled over for speeding in Sept. 2022, pled no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing in relation to Jan. crash that killed Chandler LeCroy and Devin Willock

Awards: 2021 Second-Team All-SEC, 2022 First-Team All-SEC, 2022 First-Team All-American

Pros: Age, special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, field goal block, and field goal units, eliminated penalties in 2022, raw power, change of direction skills in small spaces, lower body movement is elite for an interior player, plants and drives himself horizontally to bounce from gap to gap, terrific acceleration into his rush, violent player, twitchy upper body, active and powerful hands, hands pack pop, softens the lineman’s shoulders before dipping past, powerful swipes and swats, throws head and shoulder fakes, swim move, rip move, powerful club move, chains a bull rush into a swim move, flashes of speed to power, showcases dip and bend on stunts, flattens angles to the ball carrier, torques or tosses linemen out of his way, broke Dawand Jones’ (2022) clamp with ease, holds the point of attack with strength throughout his frame, separates from blocks and redirects to the ball, upper body strength to shed blocks, stacks blocks in the run game with eyes in the backfield, gets his hands up for batted passes, plays through (and after) the whistle

Cons: Character questions, poor pro day, never played more than 400 defensive snaps in a season, looked fatigued in prolonged games, arm length is acceptable but not great, occasionally late off the line or late to get lined up, pass rush arsenal is still a work in progress, spin move doesn’t take him anywhere, ended up on the turf a lot vs Ohio State (2022), balance concerns, pad level fluctuates, gets caught up in the wash against the run, anchor at the point of attack is inconsistent, collapsed and finished to the ground by double teams, limited pursuit speed

Overview: Carter took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6031 and weighs 314 lbs. He has 10 2/8-inch hands, 33 4/8-inch arms, and an 81-inch wingspan. Carter played everywhere from 5-tech to 0-tech for the Bulldogs, and a large portion of that versatility will translate to the NFL. The defensive lineman possesses impressive raw power and terrific change of direction skills in small spaces for a player his size. His lower body movement is elite for an interior player. Carter plants his feet with a wide base and drives himself horizontally to outmaneuver guards. He accelerates into his rush and showcases some speed to power conversion. Carter is a violent player with a twitchy upper body. His active and powerful hands pack the pop to stun linemen. The former five-star recruit softens the lineman’s shoulders before dipping past or pulling himself through with power. He chains together powerful swipes, swats, and clubs that are accentuated by head and shoulder fakes. Carter relies on swims, rips, clubs, and bull rushes to win as a pass rusher. He frequently chains a bull rush into a swim move, which throws the offensive lineman off balance. The Florida native is a menace on stunts because he has the looseness to dip and bend around linemen before flattening his angle to the ball carrier. Carter’s upper body strength allows him to break clamps, toss linemen out of the way, and shed blocks. He separates from blocks and redirects to the ball but doesn’t always have the pursuit speed to make an impact. The All-American gets his hands up for batted passes and plays through the whistle. Unfortunately, his profile is flagged with significant character concerns that already existed before the incident in January. Carter’s poor showing at his pro day and questionable late-game conditioning are causes for concern. He’s never played more than 400 defensive snaps in a season. Carter’s lack of elite arm length occasionally shows up on tape. He is sometimes late off the line or late to get lined up. The Georgia product’s pass rush arsenal and plan are still works in progress as he relies heavily on only a handful of moves. Carter frequently ends up on the ground because of questionable balance. This frequently happened against Ohio State (2022). Carter’s run defense is hit or miss. He’s inconsistent with his pad level and anchor at the point of attack. The lineman doesn’t handle double teams well and gets caught up in the crowd. 

Overall, Carter is a unique athlete with unrivaled agility, power, and twitch at his position in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, he’s far from a finished product and comes with significant character question marks. Carter will be this draft’s top product five years from now if he’s dedicated to being the best version of himself as a pro.

Role & Scheme Fit: Scheme versatile lineman who plays from 2-tech to 4-tech

Round Projection: Top 10 Pick

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 04-01-23