The NFL Draft kicks off with its opening round on April 27 in Kansas City, so Rivals is taking a look back at its projected first-round picks when they were high school prospects. We move onto our projected No. 6 – Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was a four-star in the 2020 class.
NFL DRAFT REWIND: No. 1 Bryce Young | No. 2 CJ Stroud | No. 3 Will Anderson | No. 4 Will Levis | No. 5 Tyree Wilson
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No. 6: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
Where they were ranked: One notch in the rankings below five-star status, Carter finished No. 49 overall in the 2020 class out of Apopka, Fla. The high four-star was ranked as the fifth-best defensive tackle behind five-stars Bryan Bresee, Justin Rogers and Gervon Dexter and high four-star Timothy Smith.
Recruitment: Georgia was not the school mentioned most in Carter’s recruitment but after his first visit to Athens the Bulldogs were going to be tough to beat. He took three other visits there and UGA only continued to gain momentum in his recruitment. Alabama and Clemson were the two other contenders for Carter, who pledged to the Dawgs in May before his senior season.
Biggest question: Fair or not, there have been some pre-draft questions about Carter’s love for the game and the weight room. Others concerns surrounded his stamina in the College Football Playoff win over Ohio State and off-field issues over an offseason reckless driving and racing charge that resulted in two deaths.
Memories: Early in his high school career, Carter came to the Rivals Camp Series and worked out at tight end which showed off his athleticism. But it was clear that over time that he was going to grow into a lineman.
Carter was always athletic but we remember that the high four-star did not do many camps or events later into his high school career while his teammate, Clemson signee Tyler Davis, was all over the place and very active on the circuit.
After looking great on the hoof at the Under Armour All-America Game, Carter was moved up in the rankings but outside five-star status mainly because he didn’t have a big resume while heading to Georgia.
What’s really interesting heading into the draft are the various takes on Carter’s game by NFL personnel. You read comments about him being lazy, about being put on the treadmill every day, about him running out of gas in the game against Ohio State. Then there are comments that he’s better than former No. 1 pick Travon Walker, he’s unstoppable up the middle. Then I watch Carter in the SEC championship game lift QB Jayden Daniels up on a sack with one arm and just destroy the Tigers’ offensive line.
Boom or bust? Maybe. But the Detroit Lions need more interior defensive line help and my guess is that coach Dan Campbell can light a fire under Carter and get him to achieve maximum potential.
