SEC Football Way-Too-Early 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Georgia DT Jalen Carter
By Ryan Broyles
The Georgia Bulldogs dominated SEC Football in 2021 as they put together, from start to finish, one of the most dominating defensive performances in the history of college football.
Stalwarts such as Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, and Devonte Wyatt led the way for the Bulldogs dominating front seven and are now off to the NFL.
Would you believe that many in NFL Draft circles believe the best prospect of the bunch REMAINS on the Georgia roster entering the 2022 season?
Jalen Carter stepped up in the reps that he received and put together some of the best tape of any defender, at any position, in SEC Football.
Today we put Jalen Carter under the microscope and diagnose his NFL Draft potential.
SEC Football Way-Too-Early 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Georgia DT Jalen Carter
Positives:
Jalen Carter, reportedly, has measured in at 6’3 310 lbs. – prototypical size for an interior defensive lineman at the NFL level, and this is a player who just completed their sophomore season.
Oddly enough, during the 2021 NFL Draft cycle, regularly, an analyst would state that the Georgia Bulldogs’ defense doesn’t correlate to high-end production due to their scheme. And yet, Jalen Carter had no problem accumulating 37 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss.
The measurements combined with the production give us a glimpse of a highly enticing prospect.
Jalen Carter is a menace up-front who combines the size and quickness to penetrate the opposition’s backfield and cause havoc. Carter is a bully who is too strong for the opposition to contain.
Negatives:
It might be scary to think, but Jalen Carter does need additional refinement. Carter relies on his impressive athleticism to find success but needs additional tools to fulfill his potential at the next level.
It is paramount that defensive lineman plays with proper leverage to push back the opposition. Jalen Carter plays with incorrect leverage sometimes, exploding upward out of his stance, allowing the offensive lineman to get in on his frame.
While Jalen Carter does have the prototypical size for an interior defensive lineman, you would like to see him develop a thicker lower half. Carter is a bit skinny in the legs, and you wonder, when he faces stronger athletes, will Jalen Carter get blown off the ball?
Overall:
Will Jalen Carter have the same success with a different ensemble around him in 2022? Jalen Carter will be the focus of every offensive line coach week after week.
Next. Five-star CB AJ Harris commits to Georgia. dark
The NFL talent evaluators salivate over players with all the tools like Jalen Carter. Jalen Carter feels like a surefire 1st round pick, if not a top ten selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.