On one hand, I love the fact that Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is pushing back against the presumption that top prospects will do whatever any NFL team wants him to do. On the other hand, Carter might not be the best guy to be taking a stand.
But he is, declining to visit teams not drafting in the top 10. Either he knows he’ll be a top 10 pick, or his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is trying to speak it into existence.
Given the concerns that teams have regarding Carter, punctuated by a bad Pro Day workout last month, there’s an argument to be made that slipping out of the top 10 will benefit him, over the long haul.
As one G.M. recently explained it to PFT, using a high pick on Carter becomes a lose-lose proposition. If Carter does well, his success will reinforce the behaviors that have made teams concerned. If he struggles, a team will have wasted a prime draft pick.
So maybe a rude awakening is what he needs. A slide down the draft board. A slip right out of the top 10.
Plenty of players over the years have found focus and motivation by getting a draft-day slap in the face. Carter may get that if he ends up not being taken where he apparently assumes he will be. If that happens, someone could end up getting a steal in the teens, or lower.
There had been scattered questions about Carter before the incident resulting in a no-contest plea for racing and reckless driving arising from an incident that resulted in two people dying in a car crash.