The NFL let the Eagles Steal the 2023 Draft!
The league let the Philadelphia Eagles steal Jalen Carter, and now they're paying for it.
The Philadelphia Eagles entered the 2023 NFL Draft with one of the top rosters in the entire league. Even with losing free-agent defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to the San Francisco 49ers, the Eagles still felt really good about their chances to get back to the Super Bowl following their emotional loss in Super Bowl LVII to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Eagles could have come away with almost anybody and felt good about the start of their draft. And yet, the Eagles, the defending NFC champions, who started the draft with the No. 10 pick thanks to a prior trade with the New Orleans Saints, came away with one of, if not the steal of the draft’s first round.
Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter was widely regarded as one of the best prospects in the entire 2023 class. However, an incident involving Carter caused his stock to take a hit and left many wondering how far he would fall, given his talent level. He faced misdemeanor charges of reckless driving that killed fellow Georgia football player Devin Willock and Georgia staffer Chandler LeCroy. Carter has since settled the charges.
As the picks flew by, Carter was slipping a bit. Eight picks in, Carter was still on the board. At No. 9, Bears fans thought they were going to steal Carter. Then Howie Roseman came calling. Sending over a fourth-round pick to the Bears, the Eagles moved up one spot. Jalen Carter’s fall had ended.
Now? Carter is already making the rest of the league pay for letting the Eagles scoop him up at No. 9.
Carter’s coming out party was in Week 3’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Carter recorded a sack and forced two fumbles. And he got to do so near his hometown — Apopka is less than 100 miles from Tampa. In total, Carter already has 1.5 sacks and four tackles for a loss in just three games. He has at least one TFL in all three games to date.
This video from The Football Scout on YouTube shows just how dominant Carter was under the bright lights of Monday Night Football.
The Eagles were already sporting one of the deepest defensive lines in the NFL with a great mix of veterans and young growing stars. Folks were wondering how the Eagles would fill the huge hole left by the departing Hargrave. Seems like they filled it just fine.