Seahawks Visiting With Georgia DT Jalen Carter - Report
While time will tell if the Seattle Seahawks still have Jalen Carter on their big board heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, the Georgia standout will have a chance to solidify his standing as a target with the No. 5 overall pick with a crucial visit looming.
According to Peter King of NBC Sports, the Seahawks will bring in Carter for a top-30 visit to the VMAC in "coming days," providing another opportunity for the franchise to further evaluate the embattled prospect. Additionally, with the player expected to only meet with teams holding top 10 picks, he's also scheduled to meet with the Raiders in Las Vegas.
As clarified by ESPN's Adam Schefter, Carter will travel to Seattle for his official top-30 visit on Tuesday to meet with team brass.
Widely viewed as a top-five talent after earning First-Team All-American honors for the Bulldogs, Carter has endured a rocky pre-draft process that has cast negative light on the prospect on multiple fronts, creating questions about how far he might fall in the draft later this month.
First, Carter abruptly bolted from the NFL combine in Indianapolis after being charged with street racing and reckless driving misdemeanors stemming from a January accident that resulted in the death of a former teammate and Georgia staffer. He recently pled no contest, receiving a year of probation and 80 hours of community service.
Along with legal issues shedding not-so-favorable light on Carter, he further hurt his stock by showing up to Georgia's pro day workout nine pounds heavier than he was at the combine. Choosing not to run the 40-yard dash or do any other athletic testing, he failed to finish positional workouts, adding legitimacy to conditioning-related concerns stemming from his reduced snap load at the college level.
For a team like Seattle that prides itself on drafting players with competitive fire and grit and has recently placed an increased emphasis on character in the evaluation process, such transgressions on and off the field have led to speculation the team already may have crossed him off of their big board.
However, given his immense talent at a major position of need, the Seahawks wisely will continue to do their due diligence by meeting with Carter one-on-one to get a stronger sense of what makes him tick. The visit will provide an opportunity for him to chat with coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider, and other key cogs on the coaching and scouting staff to address the aforementioned circumstances, talk football, and delve into other topics.
As King noted, Schneider and company simply can't finish their evaluation of the player without "sitting down with him at length." For that reason alone, it would be premature to rule out Carter as a possibility for Seattle at this time.
There's no question Carter's visit will carry a great deal of weight in regard to whether or not Seattle considers him with its rare top-five selection. After staying away from players with prominent red flags in recent drafts in the aftermath of the botched Malik McDowell pick in 2017, he will need to leave a positive impression on all fronts to ensure that he stays in the discussion.
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