Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter is the betting favorite to be the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year, which probably wouldn’t have come as much surprise at this time last year.
Carter was projected to be a high pick well ahead of last April’s draft because of how disruptive he was in the middle of the Georgia defensive line, but his draft stock took a hit after he was charged with misdemeanors for his involvement in a high-speed car race that ended with a crash that killed two members of the Georgia football program. That tied into questions about his maturity and left him available for the Eagles with the ninth pick.
The first five weeks of his time in Philly have shown that Carter isn’t missing much on the field and defensive coordinator Sean Desai has found nothing lacking about his off-field work either.
“I don’t know if it’s a surprise, but it’s impressive how much he loves football,” Desai said in a Tuesday press conference. “He’s like a sponge. He’s asking for feedback. He’s getting coached hard. And even from his peers, he’s taking a lot of coaching from his peers, and whoever he can feel like he can get information from, a lot of guys are touching him. Coach [Tracy] Rocker obviously is a primary key point. [Fletcher Cox], obviously, has been big. And even [defensive and football operations assistant] Matt Leo has done a tremendous job of pulling him aside and doing things with him, Coach [Jeremiah] Washburn. That’s the impressive part. He’s a sponge, wants to keep getting better, keep being a big part of this defense and impacting and he’s taking ownership.”
The Eagles were well-stocked at defensive tackle with Cox and Jordan Davis on hand, but Carter has added even more to a front that will be a major test for the Jets to handle this weekend.