ESPN’s Todd McShay is painting a brutal picture of a top draft prospect.
McShay joined Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast, and he had quite a brutal assessment of Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
“I have seven different, I’ve got one page of seven different sources I’ve talked to, and I started, I had about five — shoot, in December. It includes quotes from the coaching staff, yes. Let’s just put it this way, as good as Jalen Carter was, and as important he was in the last two years, winning national championships, I don’t think there’s a lot of people in Athens that are crying that Jalen Carter’s leaving town,” McShay said on the podcast according to On3. “I think he’s been a lot to handle, and I’m not saying anything that anyone in the league isn’t saying, like it hasn’t been reported. I’m just giving the information as to why. I’m not here to bash a young man and I pull for all of these guys. As long as it’s not like domestic abuse or something horrible, but there’s some — you’ve got to have a strong veteran presence in that defensive line room, and you’ve got to have a lot of leadership on the defensive side if you’re going to be comfortable bringing in Jalen Carter.
“He’s got to be motivated from teammates I think, in order to get him to play at the level he needs to play at, and you would expect him to play at as a top ten pick.”
There was a time when Carter was seen as the potential No. 1 overall pick of the draft, especially before the Chicago Bears traded that selection to the quarterback-needy Carolina Panthers.
He is coming off helping lead Georgia to back-to-back College Football Playoff national titles as he generated inside pressure despite facing constant double teams from SEC opponents throughout his Bulldogs career.
His draft stock has come under scrutiny over the past few months, most notably, after he pleaded no contest to charges of reckless driving and racing stemming from a January car crash that killed Georgia football player Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy. Carter’s SUV was allegedly racing LeCroy’s SUV when the crash happened.
Carter received 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine, 80 hours of community service and instructions to attend a state-approved defensive driving course as part of the plea.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Not to mention, he had a terrible pro day where he showed up heavier than expected and struggled with fatigue.
Despite the red flags, somebody will be willing to take a chance on him.
