Daniel Jeremiah Compares Georgia's Jalen Carter to Former Alabama DT Quinnen Williams

NFL.com Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah is on record about his admiration for Georgia's rising junior defensive tackle Jalen Carter. In March, after watching all sixteen Georgia Bulldogs compete at their pro-day, Jeremiah stated that he believed, while Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, and Nakobe Dean, among others, impressed in front of scouts, that the Bulldogs would return their best player in Jalen Carter.

"They could have as many as three first-round draft picks on the defensive line that we saw today, and the best one of them all (Jalen Carter) has to go back to school this year."

It was high praise for the Apoka, Florida, native who never started a game for Georgia as a sophomore this past fall. That is not to say that Carter isn't talented; quite the opposite is true; it does show just how talented Georgia's roster was in 2021, but as to be expected, many still ask how Jeremiah could call Carter Georgia's "best player" if he never started over the likes of Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, or DeVonte Wyatt, all of which turned out to be first-round draft picks?

A fair question, yet the former NFL scout is betting on the potential of Carter, who, as Jeremiah pointed out in his recent scouting report of Carter, the former highly-rated recruit "is officially The Guy on UGA's defensive front."

Jeremiah emptied his scouting notebook telling us what he liked about Carter's game and where Carter needs to improve.

"What I liked:

Carter is incredibly twitched up, and he spends the majority of his time on the other side of the line of scrimmage, against the pass and run. As a pass rusher, he explodes off the ball and has the lower-body power to work through the edges of blockers. He has quick hands and a variety of moves, most typically winning with a club/rip, an arm-over or a counter.

"Where he needs to improve:

I love the disruptive presence Carter brings to the Georgia defense, but he needs to up his actual production this fall. He finished last season with just 17 solo tackles and three sacks. Now, those underwhelming counting stats are understandable when you consider the depth of talent on the Bulldogs' defense last season. Kirby Smart's D divvies up snaps all game, with starters usually resting in the fourth quarter of blowouts. Carter's pad level is still somewhat of a work in progress. There are times where he pops right up and gets washed by down blocks. That said, I thought he improved in this department as last season went along."

Jeremiah would even offer an NFL-comp for Carter, saying that Carter resembles former Alabama defensive tackle and current member of the Jets Quinnen Williams.

"[Carter and Williams] both possess an explosive first step. I would give Williams a slight edge in the power department, but I believe Carter is more nimble and a smoother athlete. Like Williams during his time at Alabama, Carter finds a way to stand out on a college defense overflowing with NFL talent. Williams, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft, is an ascending force for the New York Jets, with 13 sacks and 73 pressures (by Pro Football Focus' count) over the past two seasons. I believe Carter has the same upside."

- Daniel Jeremiah

As a sophomore, Carter totaled 37 tackles, 3 sacks, and blocked a field goal in the win over Alabama in the national championship game. In addition, Carter's 33 quarterback pressures, which ranked second on the team, helped him make the Coaches' All-SEC Second-Team.

You Might Also Like:

Join the community:

Follow Brooks Austin on Twitter: @BrooksAustinSI

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @BulldogsSI.