Power Ranking top NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates

1. Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles
First Round, Ninth Overall

Everyone saw the NFL world give the defending NFC Champions an absolute gift on draft night when they let Jalen Carter fall to ninth overall. The Philadelphia Eagles traded up and took the dynamite interior lineman from the University of Georgia. There was a laundry list of question marks after he was arrested following an alleged racing incident that took the life of one of his teammates. However, the Eagles were the perfect team that could take a chance on a guy like Carter.

He's been everything the Eagles could have hoped for in a rookie. Maybe it's the veteran locker room, or maybe it's the culture of winning in Philadelphia. Either way, there hasn't been a negative peep surrounding Carter. The only narrative we see is his impact on the field.

Maybe from the 30,000-foot view, Carter's numbers aren't terribly impressive. He only has four sacks and 16 solo tackles. However, he's creating havoc on the inside of the line, and he's getting to the QB from a position teams desperately need pressure. It's one thing to come off the edge and provide pressure. Doing it from the tackle position gives a defense an edge, no pun intended.

Carter also has big plays to his name. He returned a fumble against the Dallas Cowboys for a touchdown while the game was still in doubt. He's always in the backfield, and the Eagles are trying him at different spots. Once the playoffs start, Carter could really establish himself. Even with the Eagles' struggles, the odds say that this is Carter's award to lose.