Report: Josh McDaniels refutes report Georgia DL Jalen Carter is off Raiders' draft board

Following the 2022-23 season, Jalen Carter was one of the top prospects in the NFL Draft. However, he’s seen his draft stock slip and it was even reported that some teams have taken Carter entirely off their draft boards. One of them, apparently, is Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders.

However, Josh McDaniels has now refuted that original report.

Instead, Josh McDaniels says that Jalen Carter has not officially been crossed off the team’s big board. The Raiders are, apparently, still doing their due diligence in regard to Carter. He will even visit Las Vegas in April, according to Vincent Bonsignore.

Of course, just because he’s off their board doesn’t inherently mean that Las Vegas is going to draft Carter. It just means that they still could.

There are reasons to be concerned about Carter, though. He pleaded no contest to reckless driving and racing charges. Those charges were related to the car crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy.

On the field, he struggled during his Pro Day. In particular, it looked like Carter’s stamina wasn’t where it needed to be. This, along with the off-field concerns, has made his draft stock tumble. Whether that means Josh McDaniels removed him entirely or is just down on him is unclear, though.

ESPN draft analyst still thinks Carter is a top-10 pick

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay doesn’t deny that he has concerns about Jalen Carter off the field. However, as he points out, there is still a lot that is unknown in that regard and he still projects Carter to go in the top 10.

“And I’m talking about football character, poor practice habits, not a self-starter, having to be motivated by coaches to get through practice and other things. And so, when the incident happened with the two fatalities, that happened shortly after the national championship and there’s a lot of questions still to be answered. I know it’s been handled in terms of, one year probation, but what really happened? What kind of person are you bringing in to your building? And then he shows up a week or so after the combine nine pounds heavier, doesn’t test. Doesn’t run a 40 and a three cone and a short shuttle. He goes in fresh for his position workouts and doesn’t finish. And that matches up with all the things I was saying prior to the incident, prior to that mock 1.0. So, to me, what are you getting?” McShay asked.

“Now, how I’d handle this, I’m going to look at the elite class in this year’s group. Who are the six, seven players who are in the elite class. And then say, ‘You know what, when we get in the second tier after the quarterbacks go, after the three four other guys that I think are elite players in this class, then I’ll take a shot on Jalen Carter.’ Because I know I’m not getting one of the premier guys. That would probably be around eight. And you’ve got Chicago sitting there at No. 9, the Falcons sitting there at No. 8. I think he’s going to be a Top 10 pick, I don’t see him falling this far,” McShay said of one mock draft. “But it is a tough decision as a general manager. What are you bringing in to your building and do you have enough veteran leadership to make sure that this guy doesn’t become a cancer for your organization.”