Kirby Smart details how Jalen Carter has created value for himself while overcoming injuries

Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter is one of the most highly touted prospects for the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, bringing a rare combination or size and skill to the table. Carter has battled injuries throughout this season, missing a handful of games and seeing limited snaps in various contests. But latelt, Carter has been playing a higher volume of snaps and coming up big for the Bulldogs’ defense that ranks No. 1 in the country.

Head coach Kirby Smart was recently asked what it meant to have Carter battle through injuries and buy into the team while having generational wealth at stake with his current draft status, and Smart flipped the script on the question when talking about his star defensive tackle.

“The assumption you make is generational wealth is on the line, I look at it as he’s earning generational wealth, it’s not given right?” Smart asked. “He hasn’t had an opportunity to play all year and show his skillset and really show his stamina, in all his years playing here he never got to play that many snaps.”

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Carter suffered an ankle injury in the very first play of their opener versus Oregon, followed by a sprained MCL against Missouri. This limited his opportunity to make plays early in the season, but he has come on strong since his return to the lineup recording 17 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and two forced fumbles in his last four outings.

“So he’s creating value for himself with the way he’s been playing and if you look at the top end of the draft it’s one of those things where it’s a huge difference between pick three ,and pick 10, and pick 14,” Smart explained. “It’s a lot more different than it is down there towards the end.”

It’s safe to say the more Carter plays, the more his draft stock rises, as he’s looking to help propel this Georgia team the best he can with their eyes set on their next game against Georgia Tech followed by a meeting with LSU in the SEC Championship game, a stage they failed to win on last season despite securing a National Championship.

“So it’s not about that for him, it’s about being with his teammates, wanting to so something special. He was really close and a brotherhood with those guys last year and they’re gone now, and he’s trying to do something that they didn’t do and he’s given us all he’s got,” Smart said.