Former Georgia Bulldogs player looks awful after latest decision
There have been plenty of questions this offseason about Kirby Smart's culture at Georgia. Some Bulldogs players have dealt with some off-the-field incidents — including former UGA quarterback Stetson Bennett, who led the program to back-to-back national championships before getting arrested in Dallas earlier this offseason for public intoxication. Defensive lineman Jalen Carter is one […]
There have been plenty of questions this offseason about Kirby Smart's culture at Georgia.
Some Bulldogs players have dealt with some off-the-field incidents — including former UGA quarterback Stetson Bennett, who led the program to back-to-back national championships before getting arrested in Dallas earlier this offseason for public intoxication.
Defensive lineman Jalen Carter is one of the players who's had some off-field concerns and he didn't help himself this week with his latest decision.
Already under scrutiny for racing and reckless driving charges that stem from the investigation into a fatal January 15 car accident, Carter has apparently decided that he's only meeting with NFL teams that have a top 10 draft pick.
Carter's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is confident that Carter will be a top 10 pick so he's declining meetings with teams with picks outside of the top 10.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Carter will agree to meet with a team from outside the top 10 only if they trade into the top 10 ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft that takes place later this month.
This is such a bad look for Carter and it's only going to cause the questions about his character to intensify.
For starters, Carter could make valuable connections by meeting with teams outside the top 10. Coaches and front office execs change teams every offseason and land new jobs. You never know when a connection made ahead of the draft can pay off down the road. In this sense, Carter is only cheating himself.
But there's also the fact that a team outside the top 10 might wait until after meeting with Carter before deciding he's worth trading up for. If a team doesn't even get the chance to have a meeting with Carter, they're essentially wiping him off their draft board because they're not going to trade up for a player that refuses to meet with them.
Carter may very well end up going in the top 10 and having a career with very few hiccups. But he's not making the path any easier for himself.
Perhaps he should look to former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker for advice. Despite suffering a torn ACL that's prevented him from working out this spring, Hooker is taking every meeting he can with NFL teams. And that approach has helped his draft stock as teams have been impressed with his leadership and maturity.
The same can't be said for Carter.
