Todd McShay weighs Jalen Carter's on-field potential, off-field concerns

The 2023 NFL Draft is right around the corner and that begs the question: which defensive player will be the first one selected? Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter will certainly have a shot at claiming that honor, though some off-the-field question marks might give teams pause.

That was a topic ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay took on in a recent conference call with reporters.

“Listen, talent, right or wrong, always wins the day over character issues as long as those character issues aren’t something that are going to create a problem,” McShay said.

Meaning don’t expect Jalen Carter to fall very far in this year’s draft.

He’s simply too good for some team not to take a chance on him, likely in the top 10. McShay outlined why that’s the case.

“If you’re comfortable with his character, and there’s obviously the off-the-field tragic incident that was just horrible,” McShay said. “But legally you’ve got to dig into what his involvement was and why he wasn’t at the scene and certain things like that. But legally it’s a one year probation, I think a $1,000 fine and some community service hours. Ultimately you know he’s going to be on the field, that’s not going to take away from him playing.”

Jalen Carter had a strong season as Georgia won its second straight national championship. He seamlessly replaced first-round pick Jordan Davis, providing a disruptive presence on the interior.

On the year, Carter finished with 32 tackles, 7.0 tackles for a loss, 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups and 31 quarterback hurries.

McShay pointed out there are some concerns with work ethic.

“The football character stuff is concerning because the practice habits aren’t there and there’s story after story and all sorts of things that have come out with the background checks,” he said. “But his game tape is exceptional. He’s the best pure football player, the most dominant defensive player in this draft. So from a scheme perspective, I don’t care what you play. You figure out how to utilize him. I mean he has a unique combination of strength and athleticism. He dominates every one-on-one that he’s in.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, the motor runs hot and cold.’ I don’t see it that much. If you’re playing that many snaps in the SEC in the humidity and all that, you might not go 100% on every single play, but my goodness, that guy gets after it on the field despite all the negative stories about his practice habits.”

McShay believes as long as the organization that takes him has strong leadership and enforces accountability in the locker room Jalen Carter should be just fine.

He’s a big fan of the defensive tackle’s game.

“Ultimately I think any time you can bring in a dominant interior player, as close as they are to the quarterback, the straight line that they have, how they can affect them even if they don’t get a sack just getting him off the spot, I mean it is invaluable in today’s NFL,” McShay said. “He won’t get out of the top 10, I’ll just say that right now. I’ll be shocked if he gets past nine to the Bears, but I’ll still be really surprised if he doesn’t go at five or six to Seattle or Detroit. He is that talented. He is just absolutely dominant.”