Evaluating film of Georgia’s Jalen Carter and how he would fit along the Eagles’ defensive line

With the pre-draft process winding down as the NFL draft in Kansas City, Mo. draws closer, the uncertainty of how the first round will shake out continues to heighten.

The top of the draft, which seemed more clear after the Super Bowl than it does now, is wide open in terms of which players go where. The Carolina Panthers seem content with drafting a quarterback, but after the first pick, nothing is set in stone, nor a sure thing.

An early run at quarterback could happen, but all eyes will be on where Jalen Carter, once considered a top pick, fits into the equation.

After a less-than-stellar pre-draft process, the Georgia defensive tackle could fall outside of the top five, and has been linked to the Eagles as a potential landing spot. The 6-3, 314-pound specimen was even reportedly brought in for a pre-draft visit.

With off-field concerns in consideration, his talent is undeniable. Here’s a look at what makes him special and how he could fit in the Birds’ scheme.

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In his final season with the Georgia Bulldogs, Carter compiled 32 tackles, (seven for loss) three sacks, and two forced fumbles, in 13 games with nine starts, missing two games with a knee injury. Although the production is slightly less than what he did as a rotational player in 2021, playing alongside first-round picks Jordan Davis, now with the Eagles, and Devonte Wyatt, now with the Packers, Carter has a forceful, explosive first step that puts pressure on opposing guards and centers trying to cut him off or reach block him.

A perfect example of his ability to quickly explode off the football is the play below against LSU in the SEC championship, a game he dominated from start to finish (four tackles, one sack). Carter fires off the football, uses his lower body power and torque to knock back the left guard, uses his long arms (33 1/2-inch reach) to extend, peek, and make the tackle at the line of scrimmage. His ability to one-gap, and reset the running back’s path, is impressive.

While Carter flashes his ability to use his raw power and quick first step to disrupt offensive linemen’s paths, his go-to, unstoppable move to win in the run game is his swim move. Because he is so adept at winning at the snap with his quickness, offensive linemen have to lunge forward to try and win the leverage battle. Carter uses that momentum against them, sending them flying in the other direction and giving him free access to the running back. A large portion of his run game wins utilize the swim move, like he did in 2021 against Kentucky below.

Combining his ability to use the swim move and consistently getting into the chest of offensive linemen to control their leverage is the next step for Carter. He is so athletically gifted and quick, especially for the college level, and because of this, he often doesn’t need to string together multiple moves to win and create penetration. When he does bring it all together, though, it results in plays like this one below against Tennessee, where he blows up the right guard, swipes down the hands of the guard, and forces the fumble.

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While Carter takes a more simplistic approach to winning as a run defender, the talented 21-year-old takes a more nuanced approach to winning as a pass rusher. With less than three seconds to win against offensive linemen before the quarterback gets rid of the ball, especially at the NFL level, energy has to be expended quickly and efficiently to have a clear and direct path to be disruptive.

Carter uses a club-rip move, which requires power and explosiveness to pull off. In this move, Carter knocks offensive linemen off balance with his upper body strength, allowing him to attack half of his matchup and using his speed to accelerate past en route to the quarterback. An example of this technique came against Ohio State in the CFP Semifinal, where Carter uses the club-rip and swim moves past the left guard to have a direct path to Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, who evades No. 88 but is forced off his spot. The move also propels his momentum forward, almost a springboard to collapse the pocket.

The swim move, though, which was mentioned above as a go-to run defending move, is also prevalent in Carter’s pass-rush repertoire. It all starts with Carter attacking the LSU left guard’s outside shoulder, using his own left hand to force the guard to shoot his hands, redirecting his track to attack the inside gap while using a swim move to win at the point of attack in the play below. From there, the athleticism takes over, showing the ankle flexion to put his foot in the ground, “get skinny,” and close in on the quarterback for the sack.

The ability to bull rush is shown on Carter’s tape too, although his has the finesse and explosiveness to pull off swim and club-rip moves. One of the most disruptive ways to win and cloud the quarterback’s vision, Carter has the upper body strength and lower-body power to pull off, but the move is more of a slow burn and effective when you string together another move with it. Against Tennessee below, Carter gets underneath the pads of the right guard, pushes him three yards off the line of scrimmage, uses a swim move to discard and collects a sack plus forced fumble. It’s why since December, we’ve been saying Carter has the unique blend of power and athleticism.

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Lining up primarily as a 2i or three-technique with the Bulldogs, Carter best fits as a one gapping run defender who is allowed to penetrate vertically. Georgia didn’t ask him to eat double teams much and neither should the NFL, frankly. He’s at his best when he’s allowed to control a single lineman, and win with a variety of moves. As for the Eagles fit, with Davis playing more of a space eater and absorbing double teams, Carter can fit alongside controlling either B-gaps defensively, having the freedom to penetrate and cause disruption as a run defender.

As a pass rusher, Carter can be on the field on third downs and win on both stunts and one-on-one as a pass rusher. Sean Desai’s scheme may call for more unusual defensive line alignments, even playing in both odd and even fronts, and Carter’s skill set will allow him to be used in a myriad of ways. In a pinch, Carter can play the 4i alignment, attacking the inside shoulder of tackles, even though he would be best served as a 2i or three-technique.

If the opportunity is presented, the Eagles should take the chance on Carter, although he is expected to be off the board long before the Birds’ 10th pick. A potential trade up could be in the cards, but based on his film, specifically explosiveness and power, Carter would be a slam-dunk, no-brainer in terms of improving a now thinned-out defensive line room for the Eagles.

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