If Jalen Carter is available to the Lions, will they draft him? If it were a matter of talent alone, the answer would be yes. But it's more complicated than that with Carter, who comes with character questions that have clouded his status as can't-miss pick.
"You’ve been hearing me preach intangibles since day 1," Lions GM Brad Holmes told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix. "Firm believer they are the separators of success. You look at an Amon-Ra St. Brown, he’s a talented player, but his intangibles are as good as it gets. That’s why he has the success that he has, and there’s countless other players that I could rattle off.
"Talent is one thing, but the intangible piece, the character piece, those are components, but it doesn’t make up the whole picture in the totality of the evaluation."
The Lions will host Carter, the dominant defensive tackle from Georgia, for a pre-draft visit, per multiple reports. Some analysts say he's the most talented player on the board, a clear No. 1 pick if not for a growing list of off-the-field concerns.
Just this month, the 21-year-old Carter pleaded no contest to charges of reckless driving in connection to an accident in January that killed one of his teammates and a Georgia staff member. He also showed up out of shape to his pro day, where he weighed in 23 pounds heavier than his listed playing weight last season and was unable to finish his position drills.
And before all that, ESPN draft expert Todd McShay reported there were "questions about (Carter's) character" in college, including "work ethic, practice habits, being late for meetings, things like that."
These are questions Holmes and the Lions must try to answer as they prepare to make two first-round picks next month, including No. 6 overall. Asked specifically about Carter, Holmes said Monday the Lions haven't yet had their pre-draft meetings on interior defensive line prospects, but "obviously I’ve seen his film in the past."
"When we get into (those) meetings, I’ll have a little more clarity about that then," he said.
On the general idea of weighing talent versus character, Holmes said, "If a player is really, really talented and there’s something else that you have to figure out, we just make sure that we’re thorough, do our due diligence."
"Talent’s easy to find," said Holmes. "It is. From a talent evaluation standpoint, I’m very confident in myself as an evaluator but I (also) have a great staff and we have great coaches that are good evaluators. We have so many people looking at the coherent stuff you see on tape, but you gotta do your just due on the intangible piece.
"The modern-day athletes, they’re all different, so you just gotta do your work and take it case by case."
On top of being one of the most talented players in the draft, Carter would fill a need for the Lions' defense up front. He's a three-down player who can stuff the run and pressure the passer. He has superstar potential in the NFL.
"He’s so disruptive," said McShay. "On run plays he has the strength, he gets off blocks in a flash, he chases you, he has a great motor, he gets guys from behind. And as an interior guy, it’s so important to get that quarterback off his spot and to create chaos and he does that on almost every play."
When judging prospects and their character, Holmes said he's always mindful of their age: "These kids are young college kids and I’ve read a lot of things from a brain standpoint (about) where your frontal lobes are developed at that point. And some of the things that I did in college I probably wouldn’t want anyone to know about."
"You ask, what is the one (separator)? I’d say football character is probably the biggest thing, in terms of just your passion for the game, your mental toughness, your leadership, work ethic, accountability, all that stuff. That always ranks No. 1," said Holmes.
In terms of football character, it's worth pointing out that Carter could have shut it down after suffering an ankle injury last season to protect his draft stock. Other highly-rated prospects done the same in the past. Instead, he returned to the field and helped Georgia capture its second straight national championship.
"Yeah, you might not get in practice what you want to get in practice, but that dude will play his ass off for you, and he does every down that he’s on the field," said McShay. "From the football character perceptive, when it comes to wanting to be there for his team and all that, he chose not to shut it down. He came back. And in fact, he played his best football the last four or five games of the season."
For the Lions, the debate will likely continue for the next month, perhaps all the way up to draft night on April 27. And not just about Carter, but about who they might take with the sixth overall pick. Holmes said it's not as clear-cut as the last two years when "if we had to draft (today), we felt pretty confident" in who they were selecting with their top pick.
"Can’t say that’s the case right now. There’s still more work to do. Again, we just surrender the results to the process and we’re still going through that, but we'll make sure we get to a point where we’re going to make the best decision and add the best football player for us," said Holmes.
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