Scouting Profile: Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
Potentially the most dominant defensive prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 310lbs
Class: Junior
NFL Comparison: A 70/30 mix of Quinnen Williams and Chris Jones
Unless you're brand new to the 2023 NFL Draft and the players in this year's player selection meeting, you're aware of the fact that University of Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is likely to be picked very, very early on in the ordeal—because he might be the single best overall prospect in this year's draft class.
Standing 6'3" and weighing somewhere in the 310lb range, Carter combines a statuesque frame with unbelievable athleticism and fluidity for a man of his size. Over the past two seasons, despite constant double-teamed by opponents throughout the 2022 season, Carter used those gifts to become an absolute menace along the interior, routinely collapsing opposing pockets and blowing up so many plays before they even got started.
Over the course of the 2022 season, it became increasingly evident that opposing game plans were specifically designed to try and minimize the amount of damage that Carter could/would inflict. If they attempted trap plays to use Carter's upfield penetration against him, he still discarded those kick out blocks and wrecked the play. The only thing that proved somewhat effective in neutralizing Carter's destruction was running plays in the opposite direction of where he was lined up. In general, opponents simply didn't have the luxury of running any slower or longer-developing pays against Georgia, because Carter would inevitably collapse the pocket and wreak havoc on whatever the offense was trying to do.
Carter's game is predicated on a rare (if not terrifying) combination of being able to penetrate gaps so quickly that he's halfway into the opposing pocket in the blink of an eye, but also being a virtually immovable object whom opposing linemen cannot redirect at the point of attack.
Carter's burst off the snap legitimately gives you Aaron Donald vibes; that's the level of explosiveness we're talking, in terms of how fast he shoots opposing gaps. The vast majority of opposing linemen simply couldn't get into their blocking stance fast enough to match Carter's burst, putting them in a compromised position from the get-go. Most of the time, you'd see them awkwardly lunging at him in an attempt to simply slow him down. In either scenario, Carter either used his arm length and hand strength to redirect them with comical ease, or unleash a well-timed swipe or swim move to just blow right past them.
When a blocker was lucky enough to be in a good enough position to take on Carter off the snap, there was still little they could besides bracing for impact. He already shows a level of comfort and understanding in utilizing swim and dip-and-rip moves to defeat blocks, and delivers so much force when shoots his hands into a lineman's shoulders that the impact often stuns the lineman and leaves them out of sync. He's also very good at stacking the lineman and holding him at bay as the play develops, while optimally positioning himself to quickly shed the block when he arrives at the point of attack.
Therein lies the proverbial rub for Carter, in terms of how he translates his collegiate dominance into professional success. So much of the damage was able to inflict was a function of him being so much more athletically gifted than anyone lined up in front of him. Offensive linemen in the NFL will be stronger, quicker, and more technically sound than the guys Carter faced in college, so he won't be able to feast on the mistakes made by people trying to block him.
Accordingly, Carter is going to need to add some moves to his repertoire, in order to truly maximize his God-given physical talent.
Like so many other linemen coming out of college, he still needs to learn, develop, and play with a plan of attack. At this moment in time, you don't see very many counter moves from Carter; if his initial tactic is defeated or if he doesn't get ideal hand placement on a lineman, he will be neutralized. Similarly, Carter's bull rush is still a work in progress, particularly if he gets too high up; in those cases, his height seems to work against him. Further, it often feels like Carter played like a one-man wrecking ball along Georgia's defensive line, so he may need some refinement in learning how to coordinate and attack with his future NFL teammates along the defensive line.
In general, if Carter commits to mastering the nuances and finer techniques of his craft, he has the physical skillset to be a dominant defensive lineman in the NFL1. Because of his combination of size, strength, and speed, Carter would ideally fit in a one-gap scheme, but can easily succeed in gap-and-a-half responsibilities. ■
Full disclosure: I finished writing this profile before Carter was charged with reckless driving and racing in conjunction with the crash that killed two members of the University of Georgia football program. Even after pleading 'no contest' (and thereby avoiding any jail time), this still gives further credence to the previously-whispered concerns about his maturity and/or individual character.
Ultimately, I would be very surprised if he still isn't selected among the top five-to-seven selections in the Draft. The talent is simply too good to pass up (especially in comparison to the rest of the class), and some team will convince themselves that the driving incident can be chalked up to youthful indiscretion, which hopefully scared him straight.