NFL rumors: Jalen Carter clearly doesn’t believe his draft stock has been hurt at all

Georgia star Jalen Carter continues to view himself as a top-10 NFL Draft pick, as he should.

Although Jalen Carter has had one troubling thing pop up after another throughout the NFL Draft process, the former Georgia star still views himself as a top-10 pick.

From a pure talent perspective, he is probably the first or second-best player in the entire draft, alongside Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. All things equal, he is one of only four players worthy of going first this spring, along with Anderson, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. However, there is a belief Carter could fall out of the top 10 entirely…

While I most certainly don’t buy into that, it is very strange that his agent Drew Rosenhaus has Carter declining top-30 visits with teams who are not picking inside of the top 10 this spring.

Here is what Rosenhaus said on the matter about his immensely talented, but controversial client.

"“I’m confident Jalen will go in the top 10. He’s a good person, a family man, loves football and is a generational talent.”"

Carter has already visited with teams like the Chicago Bears picking at No. 9 and the Philadelphia Eagles picking at No. 10.

While Carter has every reason to view himself as a top-10 pick, former Oklahoma legend and NFL star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy sings a different tune. He replied to Adam Schefter’s tweet with something rather profound.

McCoy was a former top-three pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of OU. I think his big beef with this logic is there could be other teams picking outside of the top 10 who would have interest in trading up for you, but to turn them down out of principle is not doing the draft process justice.

I have no doubt Carter will end up being a top-10 pick, but he needs to make friends, not enemies.

NFL rumors: Georgia star DT Jalen Carter not interested in teams outside top 10

Look. I think Carter has the perfect agent representing him in Rosenhaus. He is one of the very best at what he does. Although he will take on clients who carry some baggage, he always looks out for his guys. He doesn’t shy away from controversy, better yet, he tackles it head-on. This is exactly what he needs to do to get Carter onto the right team picking for him inside of the top 10.

Before we begin, ask yourself this: How many teams picking inside of the top 10 are too good to add Carter’s undeniable talent? Maybe the Eagles, but they are a well-run operation and will draft their next Fletcher Cox at No. 10. They have this pick from the New Orleans Saints. Philadelphia can afford to take on the risk of adding Carter. This is what we call the eating of the lunch, people…

Yes, there will probably be four teams taking a quarterback inside of the top 10. That leaves us with six teams who won’t. You cannot honestly tell me that Carter doesn’t deserve to be one of the first six non-quarterbacks taken this spring. Should your dumb franchise pass on him, you deserve to get Deacon Jones head-slapped every time you play his team while he destroys you.

While I think Chicago and Philadelphia are the two likeliest candidates to stop Carter’s unfathomable fall down the draft board, I cannot definitely say these handful of teams are totally out on him: Arizona Cardinals (No. 3), Seattle Seahawks (No. 5), Detroit Lions (No. 6), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7), Atlanta Falcons (No. 8). Believe what you want, because it is smokescreen season.

Overall, I think Detroit is perfect for him. The Lions have the Los Angeles Rams’ pick from the Matthew Stafford trade. Carter would be outstanding playing alongside Aidan Hutchinson in the trenches. This is an ascending team with a strong general manager and a captivating head coach. Plus, I think him going to the Lions takes away some of that pressure he would feel with Atlanta.

Ultimately, it is a tad off-putting for Rosenhaus to seemingly tell teams picking outside of the top 10 to take a hike, but that just creates leverage for his client. You want Carter? Then get into the top 10! I don’t know if the CBA allows for Carter to meet with teams clandestinely now, but I wouldn’t be shocked if someone traded up to get him if he makes it past the Lions picking at No. 6.

The only thing that matters is do you want the next Ndamukong Suh playing for you or against you?

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