There were some prospects in the NFL Draft with question marks surrounding them as it always happens, although Jalen Carter was probably the biggest mystery in that regard. His issues off the field were the reasons to think he could fall. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the ninth overall pick in the end.
Carter’s talent was worthy of a top 5 selection, but that actually materializing was uncertain. The main concern was his involvement in a car crash that had severe consequences earlier in the year. However, there was something else that added some doubts.
His Pro Day performance was the other point that might have scared a few teams. The defensive tackle had a poor display despite these workouts are designed for the players to shine. He showed up weighing nine pounds more than at the NFL Combine just two weeks after the event.
Nick Sirianni shares update on Carter’s fitness
Friday marked the beginning of rookie minicamp. This is an exciting time for the Eagles especially following the great draft they had. They not only got Carter, but they also added other Georgia Bulldogs defenders like Nolan Smith and Kelee Ringo. Another impressive pickup from that university came from in a trade with the Detroit Lions for DeAndre Swift.
Carter will be the focus point the next few days. His potential to become a disruptive defensive tackle is too big, so he will attract a lot of attention. A clear proof of that was Cowboys star Micah Parsons reacting to the pick in a bad way. That’s why head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about him in particular with the conditioning being the most discussed topic. This is what the coach said.
“I sense that he wants to be the best pro he can be. Sometimes, programs even within the NFL don’t track the weight or they track it, but they don’t say ‘you have to weigh this amount’. We do. We will get him to what he’s supposed to play at, and I have no doubt in my mind he’ll do whatever he needs to do to be the player he needs to be”.
Sirianni then offer an update on the rest of the group: “We’re trying to get everybody back in shape, football-playing shape. These guys have been in hotels, they’ve been on 30 visits, they’ve been getting ready for pro days, for the combine. To say any of them are in really good football shape and they’re ready to play a game tomorrow, I would say that’s inaccurate”.
