The Other Jalen

Posted: April 13th, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 4 Comments »

The draft is about more than the first round. Go back to 2011. 6th round pick Jason Kelce turned out slightly better than 1st rounder Danny Watkins. Go back to 2020. 2nd rounder Jalen Hurts turned out slightly better than 1st rounder Jalen Reagor. You never know where you’ll find great players.

Still, the 1st round is critical.

Brandon Graham
Fletcher Cox
Lane Johnson
DeVonta Smith

Those guys all helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl last year. All but Smith were on the team that won it all in 2017. 1st round picks are critical.

I mention this because I keep trying to figure out what the Eagles will do with pick 10. There is no single player who is the perfect target. Some years there is that player you covet. Other times there are a couple of guys. There are plenty of guys I have interest in this year, but I keep getting stuck on this being pick 10.

With the Hurts/Sirianni combo, the Eagles shouldn’t be picking this high for a while. The Eagles have to be looking for someone special. If that is the case, there is only one player who truly fits the bill.

Back in the middle of the 2022 college season, Carter was my #1 player. I was praying the Saints would be awful and get the Eagles the top pick so they would have a chance to get the best player.

The offseason has changed things. Carter is still an elite talent, but there are character concerns. He will not go #1. He might fall all the way down to 10. The Eagles have a legit shot to get him.

Here are some comments from Adam Schefter.

Schefter joined 97.5 The Fanatic’s The John Kincade Show this week to talk all things Eagles and NFL Draft, and the most intriguing stuff he mentioned during his hit pertained to the Eagles and Carter. Here’s what Schefter is seeing, and thinking, about the possibility: “When you talk to people around that Georgia program, they say that one guy – maybe *the* one guy – that kept Jalen Carter really in line was Jordan Davis. When he was around Jordan Davis, he was on some of his best behavior. Philly would have that advantage, bringing [Carter] to Philly and having Jordan Davis as a guy that could help out there. […] He’s the guy in this year’s draft that, outside of the quarterbacks, is really fascinated and intrigued to see: what happens to this all-world talent and who is the one that turns in the pick on him? I’ll say this: I think there’s a decent chance that the Eagles are the team that has that decision to make here.”

As to the comment about Davis being able to control Carter…I’m not so sure on that. Schefter isn’t exactly locked in to college programs. That’s most likely a line being fed to him by Carter’s agent or some team.

The most interesting part is the last line.

“I think there’s a decent chance that the Eagles are the team that has that decision to make here.”

Are there really nine players likely to go before the Eagles pick?

3 QBs
DE Will Anderson
DL Tyree Wilson
CB Devon Witherspoon
CB Christian Gonzalez

That is seven guys. There could be a fourth QB (hopefully). Maybe OL Peter Skoronski. There are some wild cards like Paris Johnson, Lukas Van Ness or Nolan Smith. And Bijan Robinson is the ultimate mystery man. Top 5 talent, but he’s a RB and that hurts his value.

We can’t say Carter is likely, but it is possible for him to fall to 10th.

As long as Big Dom’s research on Carter doesn’t come back too bad, he is the guy I would target. Carter has a chance to be special and DTs like that are incredibly valuable in today’s game. He can 2-gap. He can shoot into the backfield and make plays vs the run. He can rush the passer and affect the QB.

I would not trade up for Carter. If he falls to you, great. But I would not sink extra resources into a player I had questions about.

When we talk about his character, don’t think of him as a criminal or something like that. We’re talking mostly about maturity. Drag racing was dumb. Leaving the scene was dumb. Lying to the cops was dumb. Being overweight at his Pro Day was unprofessional. This stuff can be fixed. These issues can go away.

Or not.

Being around veteran DL like Cox and Graham would be good for him. Being around team leaders like Kelce, Hurts and Johnson would be good for him. When you have strong leaders like this, they can help one or two guys who have issues. You get into trouble when that ratio is closer to 50-50. The leaders can’t help everyone. This is professional football. You need most player to handle their business the right way.

There is risk with Carter. There is also a tremendous reward if the pick works out. He could be a Fletcher Cox type of player. He and Jordan Davis would give the Eagles a dynamic duo on the DL for the next several years.

While Carter has issues, he might not make it to 10. He could go anywhere in the 5 to 9 range. All of those teams could use an impact DL.

So what happens if Carter is gone? The more I think about it the more I keep coming back to Nolan Smith.

That’s kind of where my head is at right now.

I see special potential in both Carter and Smith. Pick 10 feels a bit early for Smith, but if you trade down, you risk losing Smith. He is an explosive athlete, good leader and talented pass rusher.

Lukas Van Ness is the other guy I keep trying to figure out. I love his versatility and athleticism. Pick 10 just feels early for a guy who never started in college. There is no questioning his talent. He’s a bigger, more athletic version of Josh Sweat. That’s intriguing as heck.

If Carter is gone, trading back would make a lot of sense. There are some good mid-round targets I’d love to be able to add. Howie needs to add picks in the Rounds 3-5 area to be able to get some of those guys.

Only a couple of weeks left, but still a lot of unknowns. Should be a fun three days.

_

4 Comments on “The Other Jalen”

  1. 1 Eagles News: Draft rumor says “running back comes up a lot” in Philadelphia’s plans - News Load said at 1:31 PM on April 14th, 2023:

    […] The Other Jalen – Iggles Blitz“Nolan Smith on the sphere with Haason Reddick for no less than two seasons of soccer is one thing I might be banging the desk for in the Eagles’ draft conferences. For those who can’t get Jalen Carter, Smith offers essentially the most intriguing schematic prospects of anybody else, in my opinion.” That’s form of the place my head is at proper now. I see particular potential in each Carter and Smith. Choose 10 feels a bit early for Smith, however should you commerce down, you danger dropping Smith. He’s an explosive athlete, good chief and proficient go rusher. Lukas Van Ness is the opposite man I maintain attempting to determine. I like his versatility and athleticism. Choose 10 simply feels early for a man who by no means began in school. There isn’t any questioning his expertise. He’s a larger, extra athletic model of Josh Sweat. That’s intriguing as heck. If Carter is gone, buying and selling back would make a lot of sense. There are some good mid-round targets I’d love to have the ability to add. Howie wants so as to add picks in the Rounds 3-5 space to have the ability to get a few of these guys. Solely a couple of weeks left, however nonetheless a lot of unknowns. Must be a enjoyable three days. […]

  2. 2 Eagles News: Draft rumor says “running back comes up a lot” in Philadelphia’s plans - Camel News said at 1:52 PM on April 14th, 2023:

    […] The Other Jalen – Iggles Blitz“Nolan Smith on the sphere with Haason Reddick for no less than two seasons of soccer is one thing I’d be banging the desk for in the Eagles’ draft conferences. For those who can’t get Jalen Carter, Smith offers essentially the most intriguing schematic prospects of anybody else, in my opinion.” That’s type of the place my head is at proper now. I see particular potential in each Carter and Smith. Choose 10 feels a bit early for Smith, however when you commerce down, you threat shedding Smith. He’s an explosive athlete, good chief and proficient cross rusher. Lukas Van Ness is the opposite man I maintain attempting to determine. I really like his versatility and athleticism. Choose 10 simply feels early for a man who by no means began in faculty. There isn’t a questioning his expertise. He’s a greater, extra athletic model of Josh Sweat. That’s intriguing as heck. If Carter is gone, buying and selling back would make a lot of sense. There are some good mid-round targets I’d love to have the ability to add. Howie wants so as to add picks in the Rounds 3-5 space to have the ability to get a few of these guys. Solely a couple of weeks left, however nonetheless a lot of unknowns. Ought to be a enjoyable three days. […]

  3. 3 The Linc – Draft rumor says “running back comes up a lot” in the Eagles’ plans - Balance Sportscast said at 2:04 PM on April 14th, 2023:

    […] The Other Jalen – Iggles Blitz“Nolan Smith on the field with Haason Reddick for at least two seasons of football is something I would be banging the table for in the Eagles’ draft meetings. If you can’t get Jalen Carter, Smith provides the most intriguing schematic possibilities of anyone else, in my opinion.” That’s kind of where my head is at right now. I see special potential in both Carter and Smith. Pick 10 feels a bit early for Smith, but if you trade down, you risk losing Smith. He is an explosive athlete, good leader and talented pass rusher. Lukas Van Ness is the other guy I keep trying to figure out. I love his versatility and athleticism. Pick 10 just feels early for a guy who never started in college. There is no questioning his talent. He’s a bigger, more athletic version of Josh Sweat. That’s intriguing as heck. If Carter is gone, trading back would make a lot of sense. There are some good mid-round targets I’d love to be able to add. Howie needs to add picks in the Rounds 3-5 area to be able to get some of those guys. Only a couple of weeks left, but still a lot of unknowns. Should be a fun three days. […]

  4. 4 Eagles Information: Draft rumor says “working again comes up so much” in Philadelphia’s plans - Tech Wings said at 4:58 PM on April 14th, 2023:

    […] The Different Jalen – Iggles Blitz“Nolan Smith on the sector with Haason Reddick for at the least two seasons of soccer is one thing I’d be banging the desk for within the Eagles’ draft conferences. In the event you can’t get Jalen Carter, Smith gives essentially the most intriguing schematic prospects of anybody else, for my part.” That’s sort of the place my head is at proper now. I see particular potential in each Carter and Smith. Choose 10 feels a bit early for Smith, however should you commerce down, you danger shedding Smith. He’s an explosive athlete, good chief and gifted move rusher. Lukas Van Ness is the opposite man I preserve attempting to determine. I like his versatility and athleticism. Choose 10 simply feels early for a man who by no means began in school. There isn’t a questioning his expertise. He’s an even bigger, extra athletic model of Josh Sweat. That’s intriguing as heck. If Carter is gone, buying and selling again would make lots of sense. There are some good mid-round targets I’d love to have the ability to add. Howie wants so as to add picks within the Rounds 3-5 space to have the ability to get a few of these guys. Solely a few weeks left, however nonetheless lots of unknowns. Needs to be a enjoyable three days. […]