Jalen Carter sure seems to believe that he's a top-10 pick. Could the Lions be his landing spot at No. 6 overall?
The defensive tackle from Georgia, who some believe would be the No. 1 pick if not for off-the-field concerns, is visiting with the Lions on Monday, reports
Adam Schefter. The draft is next Thursday.
That means that Carter will have visited with all but one of the teams picking from No. 5 to No. 10 -- Seattle (5), Detroit (6), Las Vegas (7), Chicago (9) and Philadelphia (10) -- and no one else. His agent declared this month that Carter would only meet with teams drafting in the top 10.
Carter is a potential superstar who would also fill a need for the Lions, who have win-now aspirations. He can stuff the run, pressure the passer and pretty much do it all up front. He's been compared to Titans Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons. The reward is obvious.
So is the risk. Just last month, the 21-year-old Carter pleaded no contest to charges of reckless driving in connection to an accident that killed one of his teammates and a Georgia staff member in January. He also showed up out of shape to his pro day, weighing in 23 pounds heavier than his listed playing weight last season and failing to finish his position drills.
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Asked about weighing talent versus character in the draft, Lions GM Brad Holmes said last month, "You’ve been hearing me preach intangibles since day 1. Firm believer they are the separators of success."
Among those separators, Holmes said that "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.
While Carter's work ethic at Georgia has been called into question, he did return from an ankle injury last season to help the Bulldogs win their second straight national championship when he could have shut it down to protect his draft stock.
"That dude will play his ass off for you, and he does every down that he’s on the field," said ESPN draft expert Todd McShay. "From the football character perspective, 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."
Maybe that stands out to the Lions. Maybe it's not nearly enough to ease their possible concerns. We'll see next Thursday. Carter's visit on Monday could go a long way toward determining what they do with the sixth overall pick.
"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 and do our due diligence," said Holmes.
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