Forty eight hours ago the thought of Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter falling to the Steelers would have been unthinkable. Carter was thought of as a slam dunk top five pick in this upcoming draft. That was before the news broke of an arrest warrant being issued yesterday however. Now we can’t help but wonder if Jalen Carter may end up a Steeler after all.
This is not the first indication of trouble concerning Jalen Carter. Todd McShay had already reported months ago that Carter could have off the field issues that would concern NFL teams. Combine that report with this latest incident, and we can imagine Carter’s draft stock taking a significant hit this April. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/todd-mcshay-georgia-jalen-carter-character-criticism/n3rve8vllbzkmuvclyfcelcf
We have seen in the past how incidents in the time between the end of the college football season, and the draft can really affect a player’s draft stock. Look no further than Texans tackle Laremy Tunsil. Tunsil was thought of as a lock top five pick in the 2016 draft. The now infamous gas mask video caused him to drop all the way to pick 13, eventually landing with the Miami Dolphins. That was fall from the top ten just from a pretty benign video. What would multiple incidents including arrest warrant do to Jalen Carter’s draft stock?
There is a distinct possibility the Pittsburgh Steelers will have quite the decision to make at pick 17. If Jalen Carter were to fall that far, would they look past his issues and select the Georgia defensive star? There’s no question this is a tremendous talent at a position of great need for the Steelers. Carter is considered one of the best defensive line prospects to come out in the last few seasons. Plugging him into the Steelers defense would be an instant upgrade. Top five Steelers draft needs for 2023
The Pittsburgh Steelers could very well have Jalen Carter fall to them in the upcoming NFL draft. It’s not often a player of Carter’s quality is available to them given where the team usually selects. Teams face the talent vs character debate every year when it comes to selecting players. This is one that could change the Steelers for years to come, either positively or negatively. The 2023 draft just got a whole lot more interesting for this franchise.