Seahawks Ex Richard Sherman Blasts Jalen Carter: 'That's What Insanity Looks Like!'
The Seattle Seahawks are the closest they've ever been this offseason to putting an end to all the buzz and finally making a first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday.
As all Seahawks fans are aware of at this point, the team is highly likely to select either a quarterback or defensive star at the No. 5 overall pick. The name Jalen Carter has been ringing in the ears of the 12s nonstop in recent weeks, with back-and-forth reports stating the Seahawks will pick the former Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle and others saying they won't.
Former Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman doesn't have an answer to these conflicting rumors. What he does know, however, is the way he personally feels about Carter and the troubling legal issues that have surrounded him throughout the pre-draft process.
It's been well documented that Carter's involvement in a fatal speeding accident in January has caused his No. 1 pick status to disappear. Knowing this, Sherman is making it clear that he's not giving Carter the benefit of the doubt due to the nature of the incident and the seemingly immovable star-studded future Carter had in front of him before it all happened.
"You got a lot of worries," Sherman said Wednesday on his podcast. " ... If you're racing on the opposite side of traffic at 100 miles per hour, and you knew you were the No. 1 pick, they need to study your brain. That is what insanity looks like."
Sherman puts into question Carter's ability to function at a high level mentality both due to the tragic incident itself and the ensuing effects it could have on the young 22-year-old. He brings up an understandable discussion given how outrageously irresponsible Carter's actions were and the asterisk it puts on both his character and maturity.
Still, Sherman was at one point one of the best players in the NFL and had some of his own issues to deal with. His experience tells him that Carter's red flags are hardly going to affect his ability to see the field, at least for now.
"100 percent there are question marks, but this is the National Football League," Sherman said. "And I'm sorry if I seem crazy, because they will overlook it if the man can play the game."
Despite all this, a place like Seattle could be a promising fit when it comes to both Carter's mental development and the Seahawks' on-field success. While it's certainly nice to add a pass-rushing beast to a defense that has seen some major upgrades this offseason, there should be some comfort from Seahawks fans in knowing that Carter could be surrounded by guys on the defense like Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin (potentially) and Jarran Reed, who know what the culture standards are that the organization has set in place over the past decade.
Combine these vets with a first-class coaching staff and you get a group-wide effort of guiding Carter toward growth both on and off the field.
Question marks? Absolutely. But if the rumors of the Seahawks taking Carter are true, then it's likely that they already have a plan in place to make sure he's not headed toward being a complete bust.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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