2023 NFL Draft Prospects: DT Jalen Carter

Background

Name: Jalen Carter Hometown: Apopka, Florida

College: University of Georgia Class: Junior

Position: Defensive Tackle Height: 6'3"

Weight: 300 lbs NFL Comp: Quinnen Williams

Who Is Jalen Carter?

Meet Jalen Carter, one of the most formidable defensive tackles across college football. He's a name that any draft enthusiast has seen a multitude of times this year and for good reason. Carter has been one of the hardest linemen to defend against the past few years and opened up a ton of opportunities for his teammates. Against the best competition across college football, Carter has recorded three sacks, two forced fumbles, and two passes defensed. Unlike his former teammate Travon Walker, who we now know very well, Carter possesses a wide variety of pass rush moves and wouldn't be considered a project.

Jalen Carter possesses a high level of initial burst, allowing him to attack offensive linemen instantly following the snap. I mentioned just before that he possesses a wide variety of pass rush moves, but his undoubtedly best asset is his swim move. Mere days ago in the SEC Championship, Jalen Carter put this move on display for the nation en route to a dominant victory over LSU. Carter has the ability to dominate offensive linemen not just because of his wide array of moves, but also because of his elite hand placement.

So Jalen Carter has the technical part of his game down pretty well, but there's so much more you can talk about. What makes Jalen Carter lethal is that he also has a fantastic balance of athleticism for a 300 pound lineman. Carter obviously possesses power at this size, but he doesn't sacrifice much speed since it's been reported that he can run a 4.9 second 40 yard dash. If you didn't know, that's pretty damn fast for someone that size. Having this speed allow Carter to close in on the football and break up plays fast. Add the final ingredient to the recipe, his relentless motor, and you have a very good football player.

As is with nearly every NFL draft prospect, there's still areas of improvement for Jalen Carter. He hasn't had the production that you would expect in the pass rushing department with just six sacks over the past two years. Carter often doesn't have a second plan in case he can't penetrate on first contact which leads to him being ineffective too often. The final big knock on Jalen Carter is that it can be argued he hasn't had enough snaps against the run to properly evaluate his impact there. He's had issues with being upright during run plays which sacrifices leverage. Essentially, his impact as a run defender comes with some projection.

Carter's Fit With The Jaguars

Perfect. That's what his fit is. The Jaguars have been a massive disappointment in the pass rushing department during the 2022 season. Despite having what should be two dominant players on the edges, the sacks just haven't been there. Unless the Jaguars consider trading Josh Allen, which would be a bad move since his stock is at an all-time low, their starters on the outside are locked in and they'll have faith in them. What the Jaguars don't have is an interior pass rusher.

Dawuane Smoot and Arden Key are both set to hit free agency this offseason, and even if either is resigned they aren't featured in the interior that often. Roy Robertson-Harris is unlikely to be retained this offseason, so that leaves Davon Hamilton and Folorunso Fatukasi, both of which specialize against the run. Fans can argue that even before cornerback, getting a pass rusher who can penetrate from the middle is the most important position to address.

Having Jalen Carter join the Jaguars would create a three-headed monster at the first level. Carter would have to develop, but he would still be able to get pressure on the quarterback and prevent passers from stepping up in the pocket while the sides collapse, something that's happened far too often this year. I believe Carter's addition would undoubtedly lead to more sacks and relieve some stress on the cornerback room.

Should The Jaguars Draft Jalen Carter?

I believe that as of now, even if the Jaguars were drafting first again(they won't), Jalen Carter has to be the pick. There's way too many things that make so much sense for this to not be the pick right now. Jalen Carter fits a massive need, he's at least a Top 5 talent, he's played with Travon Walker and Tyson Campbell, he's a perfect scheme fit, and he could be one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL with some time. I mean he even grew up just a couple hours outside of Jacksonville. Unless another prospect that isn't QB or DE takes a huge step forward, the Jaguars should rush to the podium if Jalen Carter is available for their first selection.

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