Eagles Relying on Culture to Ensure Jalen Carter's Success
Everyone knew Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Jalen Carter would likely slide in the first round of the NFL Draft. But after taking him at No. 9 overall, the Philadelphia Eagles believe they have a star in the making and the atmosphere to ensure his success.
"I think that for us, our investment is a huge part," general manager Howie Roseman said according to The Athletic's Zach Berman. "We understand that all these players, they need to be developed. They're coming into the league at a very young age. They're not finished products. I think all of us when we were 21 and 22 hopefully have grown a lot from that time, and you just really want to get to know the person and what's in their heart."
Roseman has a point in that many of us who are far enough removed from our early 20s look back and often wonder how we made it out unscathed.
But it's not just about the individual, Roseman said.
While asking Carter to come in and be a better person in action than he has been in the past, the Eagles understand it's easy to ask someone to be part of a group effort, and a whole other thing to provide them the tools to do it.
"I think when we got to know Jalen," Roseman continued. "We just felt like here's a kid that he does love football. Obviously, he's a winner. He won in high school, he won in college. We feel like we have really good people in this building. We have really good supports staff. We have really good players who are good people. We have really good coaches. We felt like it was a good fit for us."
Philadelphia is no stranger to underdogs, so the fact many believe Carter's red flags will ultimately be the demise of his NFL career almost makes the pick that much easier for fans of the team to get behind.
Whether Carter fails or succeeds at his task will be solely placed at his feet now, however, as he joins an Eagles organization with clear leaders prepared to facilitate his success - no matter what everyone else believes.
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