Philadelphia Eagles rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter has quickly emerged as a standout player at Eagles training camp this Summer, gaining the respect of the veterans on the team.
Eagles cornerback Darius Slay went as far as saying "He [Carter] looks like a baby rhino," on the Big Play Slay show:
#Eagles Big Play Slay on Jalen Carter:
"I’ve been around a lot of great D-Tackles. I’ve been around Suh, Haloti Ngata, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave. I’m trying to tell you, Jalen Carter, this kid is just very, very dominant, man."
This is HUGE praise for rookie Jalen Carter… pic.twitter.com/z0ZmgZPTyQ
— Philly Dawgs (@PHLDawgs) August 22, 2023
Carter has garnered the attention of several veterans in the Eagles locker room. "You can ask Lane Johnson. Lane Johnson said it himself… said this guy is ready to play right now and ready to take control of a game right now," said Slay.
Johnson is one of the premier offensive tackles in the NFL and is likely headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame whenever he decides to call it a career. So, if Carter can push him around in practice and hang with one of the game’s best, maybe Slay is onto something.
The Eagles selected Carter with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Carter was one of the best players in college football during his time with the Georgia Bulldogs and many people thought he had a shot to be the first overall pick in the draft.
However, some issues off the field forced Carter to slide down the draft board. Carter was arrested in March and charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and racing concerning an accident that resulted in the deaths of Georgia teammate Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy.
While many teams removed Carter from their draft boards because of this, the Eagles saw it as an opportunity to land a very talented yet misguided player. They traded with the Chicago Bears to move up one spot in the draft so that they could pick Carter.
So far, the move is proving to pay dividends. The Eagles veterans have taken him under their wings and have been impressed with his performance on the field since his arrival.
