Georgia Bulldogs interior defensive lineman Jalen Carter figured to be a top-five pick in the NFL Draft after his dominant season played a key role in the team’s second consecutive championship. But Carter’s offseason has been troubling, with his Pro Day being the latest blip in his process. Now, the Jalen Carter NFL Draft odds are nowhere near as high as they were earlier in the NFL offseason.
Jalen Carter NFL Draft Odds Drop Following Pro Day
After being listed as high as +600 to become the first overall selection in the NFL Draft, Carter is now listed at +10000 (on DraftKings Sportsbook). DraftKings has recently dropped odds on the first defensive player selected. Alabama’s Will Anderson (once considered a lesser prospect than Carter) is a heavy favorite at -275 to be the first defender drafted. Carter is next on the list (+500).
Jalen Carter dominated headlines during the NFL Combine earlier in the month when it was revealed that a warrant was out for his arrest based on a street racing incident in January.
More bad news followed Carter during his Georgia Pro Day on Wednesday. Reports indicated Carter was already nine pounds heavier than the listing weight at the combine. Per ESPN, Carted opted to do only the position drills in the workout, skipping the 40-yard dash, cone drills and other physical tests. He could not even complete the drills scheduled in his portion due to cramping and breathing heavily.
NFL head coaches Mike Tomlin, Matt Eberflus and Arthur Smith were in attendance at Carter’s Pro Day. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was seen speaking with the coaches throughout Jalen Carter’s portion and had nothing but good things to say about the prospect’s character following the event.
“I can speak to the competitive character of the young man,” Smart told ESPN. “I got to see it every day in practice and every day in games. It shows tremendous committed character to have two injuries that you could have quit playing [but came back]. He could have sat out the rest of the year.
“He wanted to come back. He wanted to win football games. One of the greatest traits Jalen has is his teammates, his brothers. He endears himself to his teammates and wanted to come back for those guys.”
Based on the latest Jalen Carter NFL Draft odds, he is now putting himself in danger of falling deep in the first round despite being one of the most physically-gifted players on the board. It will certainly be interesting to see who ends up taking a chance on Carter in late April.
