Jalen Carter's draft pick by the Philadelphia Eagles this past April was always going to be mired in controversy after Carter's involvement in a fatal car accident. That incident wasn't the only factor driving down Carter's stock ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, however.
In a new report on the Eagles' decision to draft Carter, ESPN's Tim McManus revealed that "multiple Georgia coaches declined to go to bat for Carter during the pre-draft process."
Per McManus, those coaches had grown "disenchanted" with Carter's practice behavior and attitude. Sources familiar with the inside conversations said that "Carter didn't always go hard, had an abrasive demeanor at times and often played by his own set of rules."
When Carter hit then-Georgia linebacker Quay Walker in the face during a practice in 2020, that interaction served as a "knockout punch" to Carter's relationship with some of his coaches, and the defensive star never managed to get back into their good graces.
Prior to the draft, Carter's questionable behavior was put on full display by ESPN's Todd McShay who claimed the talented prospect had "character issues."
Eagles draft pick Jalen Carter will never live down his controversy
With McManus' latest report, McShay may not have been so far off, albeit both reporters work in the same organization.
Carter went ninth overall to the Eagles in April, joining a Bulldog-laden squad in Philadelphia where he reunited with former Georgia teammates Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean.
The Eagles clearly thought the defensive lineman was too good of a talent to pass on and nabbed him for a steal, dismissing any notions that Georgia football coaches may have had about Carter's work ethic or attitude.
For Carter, getting picked by the Eagles offers him a clean slate for him to erase old narratives and write new ones. Certain Georgia football coaches' wary perceptions of him may never change, but come Week 1 of the regular season, Carter's name is going up in those bright Philly lights and he'll have a whole new fanbase cheering him on.