Jalen Carter has not been doing himself any favors this off-season.
According to multiple reports, Carter’s agent is declining invitations to visit teams who currently sit outside the top 10 in the NFL draft. The Bears control the No. 9 pick and they were slated to meet with Carter on Monday.
“I’m confident Jalen will go in the top 10,” Carter’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said via Adam Schefter. “He’s a good person, a family man, loves football, and is a generational talent.”
Schefter also reported that Carter has been invited to the draft on April 27 and plans to attend.
Rosenhaus saying Carter won’t meet with teams outside the top 10 is a way to show that his client expects to be gone early in the first round. However, this could backfire in the worst way.
By not meeting with other teams, Carter could see himself falling and blowing a chance to at least make himself a top-15 pick or 20 pick.
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Not too long ago, Carter was considered a slam dunk top-five pick but then he pled no contest to two misdemeanor counts of reckless driving and racing, in connection with a deadly car crash that killed one of Carter’s Bulldogs teammates and a Bulldogs staffer. He received 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine, and 80 hours of community service.
He made matters worse by showing up to his Pro Day significantly heavier than he was when he weighed in at the NFL Combine. He also had to cut his pro day short because he was too winded to complete all his drills.
Teams are most certainly paying attention t all of these things and are less likely to take chances on a guy making bad decisions before he even gets paid. Who knows what will happen when he gets his first check?
Carter still remains one of the most talented prospects in the draft, but those heavy questions around him are growing as the draft draws near.
