Seahawks Drafting Eagles' Jalen Carter 'Was in Consideration,' Says John Schneider
To draft, or not to draft former Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter?
It was perhaps the biggest question surrounding the Seattle Seahawks entering the 2023 NFL Draft - and with Carter staring them in the face at No. 5 overall, the Seahawks answered the latter.
The first of Seattle's two first-round picks was spent on Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, spurning both Carter and Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson, who were heavily connected to the Seahawks during the pre-draft process.
So, why not Carter? Was he even on Seattle's draft board after being charged with two misdemeanors or had he been removed entirely?
Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show, Seahawks general manager John Schneider was directly asked about the subject and addressed those questions.
"We had a great visit with Jalen when we brought him in here," Schneider said. "He was in consideration, we just felt that Devon was a better fit for us."
The Seahawks held a top-30 visit with Carter in April, giving them a chance to evaluate his character on an individual level - and evidently walked away impressed.
However, the same proved true for Witherspoon, who also had a "great visit" with Seattle, per Schneider. And in the end, Witherspoon won out, seemingly checking more boxes for the franchise than Carter.
"The physicality is what really stood out about Devon," said Schneider. "Obviously, Jalen has a ton of natural talent. There's a couple true blue and green players - that means you have the grit and you're a green guy, meaning that you are a Seahawk and he had all of those things and so we went for it."
Does this mean that Carter didn't have both those things? Perhaps, but that's not up to us to say - maybe he did, but Schneider and the Seahawks staff simply fell in love with Witherspoon to the point where he was clearly above Carter on the draft board.
Of course, that's merely speculation ... but the fact of the matter is that Witherspoon is a Seahawk while Carter fell to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 9 overall.
The two teams will meet this December, when Carter's Eagles travel to Lumen Field for a matchup with Witherspoon's Seahawks - and while it projects to be a matchup between two potential playoff teams, there's an underlying storyline that will date back to April's draft and promises to entertain for years to come.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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