Jalen Carter Visits Falcons Today; Georgia DT Pursued by Teams 5 Through 10 in NFL Draft?
Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter's hoped-for path back toward the top of this NFL Draft "hasn't been an easy process,'' said his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
But in the end, Carter - who is visiting the Atlanta Falcons today - will have traveled for sit-downs with each of the teams drafting in the Nos. 5 through 10 slots - the Seahawks (5), the Lions (6), the Raiders (7), the Falcons (8), the Bears (9) and the Eagles (10).
And that would seem to be a suggestion that despite his woes, the talented Carter is going to land himself a top-10 slot on Draft Night.
"I think it comes down to none of us are perfect," Falcons GM Terry Fontenot recently said, speaking generally about prospects. "We're all flawed human beings, but do we love football? Are we passionate about what we do? And off the field, whether we've made mistakes - are we self-aware and are we constantly trying to improve?"
Fontenot told AtlantaFalcons.com how he works through such questions.
"It's all relative - people come from completely different places," said Fontenot. "I can't expect someone to be like me because they might not have grown up like me. So, it really takes time to get to understand people, but you want to know where they are.''
Throughout much of the 2023 NFL Draft process, the Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter was viewed as a consensus top-three prospect. But after news broke of his involvement in a fatal crash involving teammate Devin Willock and Georgia staff member Chandler LeCroy, Carter was charged with misdemeanors for racing and reckless driving and saw his draft reputation tumble.
At his pro day, Carter came in nine pounds heavier than he did at the NFL Combine and reportedly struggled completing all of the drills, only adding to potential questions. Additionally, an NFL team source told us that his "lack of maturity'' was a major concern.
Carter collected 18.5 tackles for loss and six sacks across three seasons with the Bulldogs, consistently wreaking havoc in the backfield while playing on a star-defended defensive line. But for Fontenot, that's only part of the equation.
Said the GM: "Are they truly passionate about becoming a better human being, becoming a better football player and bringing it to their team and being good teammates?"
The Atlanta Falcons, with today's visit with Jalen Carter, are about to find out.
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