Jalen Carter
DT #98 — Philadelphia Eagles
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About Jalen Carter
Eight teams passed on Jalen Carter in the 2023 NFL Draft. Eight teams looked at a player who was widely considered the most physically gifted defender in the class and said "no thank you." Off-field concerns dropped him from a projected top-three pick all the way to number nine, where Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles were waiting with the enthusiasm of a man who just found a Rolex at a yard sale. "He fell to us at nine" became an immediate Eagles rallying cry, and Carter has spent every snap since then making those eight teams regret the decision.
Carter plays defensive tackle the way a wrecking ball plays with drywall. He doesn't get blocked so much as he gets temporarily inconvenienced. The All-22 film clips of Carter splitting double teams have become their own genre of Eagles Twitter content, shared with the reverence normally reserved for art history lectures. He's still ascending, which is the terrifying part. The player who is already collapsing pockets by himself at 23 years old has not yet reached his ceiling. Offensive coordinators are game-planning around a defensive tackle who hasn't even hit his prime yet, and the Eagles got him because other front offices got nervous.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jalen Carter fall in the NFL Draft?
Off-field concerns related to a car accident investigation at the University of Georgia caused multiple teams to pass on him despite his obvious talent. The football ability was never in question. Carter was the consensus best defensive player in college football. But the pre-draft process spooked enough teams that he slid to pick nine, where the Eagles selected him. Philadelphia's fanbase has treated this as a personal gift from the football gods ever since.
Last updated: April 2026