You won’t often see a Super Bowl participant holding a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft, and you won’t often see a conference champion landing one of the draft’s best overall players. But that’s exactly what happened when the Philadelphia Eagles moved from pick No. 10 to No. 9 in order to draft Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Eagles Trade Up One Spot to Land Jalen Carter
Carter might be the most talented player in the draft, but his status was murky after he was involved in a January racing incident in which Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting coordinator Chandler LeCroy were killed.
Carter did not cause the accident, nor was he driving while impaired. He did leave the scene of the accident, but he subsequently cooperated with police and has already pleaded guilty to reckless driving and racing.
The Eagles, who had been viewed as a prime landing spot for Carter, are apparently comfortable with his off-field baggage. And for the price of a 2024 fourth-round pick, Philadelphia was able to move into the Chicago Bears’ slot at No. 9 and land their three-technique of the future.
The Eagles lost veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, while Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph – both of whom signed on as late-season contributors – are no longer on the roster. Add in the fact that general manager Howie Roseman always prefers to build through the trenches, and Carter in Kelly Green made all the sense in the world.
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Credit Roseman for Philadelphia even being in a position to secure a talent like Carter. By making a pre-draft trade with the New Orleans Saints in 2022, Roseman bet against New Orleans last season and emerged with the No. 10 pick in the draft.
Then, just as he did in 2021 when he traded up two slots for wide receiver DeVonta Smith, Roseman identified a premium talent and sacrificed minimal draft capital to go out and acquire him.
Carter will join fellow Georgia alums Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean on the Eagles’ new-look defense, which lost Hargrave, T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, C.J. Garnder-Johnson, and Marcus Epps this offseason. First-year coordinator Sean Desai, taking over for Jonathan Gannon, will have to figure out how to best deploy Carter and the rest of Philadelphia’s young defensive players.
Finding high-end talents like Carter – and using slotted rookie contracts to pay them a fraction of their actual value – will become critical for the Eagles now that Jalen Hurts is the NFL’s second-highest-paid quarterback. As Hurts’ cap charges continue to rise, Philadelphia will have to hit on youthful, inexpensive talents like Carter in order to keep their roster among the NFL’s best.