Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter will enter the 2023 NFL Draft, he announced after Georgia’s 65-7 crushing of TCU in the College Football Playoff national championship. Here’s what you need to know:
- Carter finished his career with the Bulldogs with six sacks, 81 tackles and two forced fumbles.
- He recorded two solo tackles in Georgia’s win over TCU in this year’s national championship game.
- The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler ranks Carter as the No. 3 prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, behind Alabama’s Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr.
- Carter, listed at 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, was a 2022 finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award, given to the nation’s top lineman who best exemplifies the character of Vince Lombardi.
Backstory
Carter, a native of Apopka, Fla., was a five-star recruit in Georgia’s 2020 recruiting class. A member of the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national championship teams, Carter was a second-team All-SEC selection in 2021, recording a career-high 37 tackles in a season, including 17 solo tackles, and three sacks that year. He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2022 and notched a career-high seven tackles during Georgia’s 45-19 win at Mississippi State in November.
GO DEEPER
Schultz: Georgia’s Jalen Carter on another great moment, another title shot
Scouting report
Arguably the no. 1 player in the 2023 NFL Draft class, Carter clearly looked tired during the Peach Bowl, but he was asked to play a career-high in snaps. It was the first time in his career that he surpassed 50 defensive snaps. Despite the exhaustion, Carter had several impact plays vs. the run and the pass against Ohio State. With his body control and natural power, his block deconstruction is special. — Brugler
Stardom has been expected for Carter since he was a five-star recruit, and even in sometimes limited duty at Georgia, he always showed it. As a sophomore in 2021, when Georgia had first-round picks Jordan Davis, Travon Walker and Devonte Wyatt, it was often said that Carter was the best of the bunch. This past year, injuries kept Carter from playing a full season, but when healthy, he was unblockable; Georgia coach Kirby Smart, despite all the other talent on the defense, said Carter’s presence allowed the defense as a whole to play at another level. Carter’s versatility should also help his future NFL team: Georgia played him on the inside and outside, and Smart said only half-jokingly they could use him at linebacker. That blend of athleticism and pure power is not often seen at the college or NFL level. — Emerson
Required reading
(Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty)
.