The more I hear about Jalen Carter this offseason, the less excited I would be about the Pittsburgh Steelers potentially moving up to land him if he starts to slide in the NFL Draft. Many draft analysts view Carter as the best overall prospect in this year's class, but his character can't seem to get out of his own way.
Once thought of as a lock top-5 pick, that may no longer be the case. In fact, some believe that Carter could now slide outside of the top ten picks this April. There were already concerns about Carter's character, but the reckless driving incident coupled with showing up late to his own Georgia Pro Day and putting on a sloppy show was reason enough for teams to push him even lower on their draft boards.
If you were of the group of fans hoping that Carter could somehow fall far enough for the Steelers to trade up a bit for him in the 2023 NFL Draft, don't hold your breath. It isn't happening. On March 3rd, Adam Schefter of ESPN announced that Carter is declining visit requests with every team not picking inside the top 10.
Georgia DT Jalen Carter is visiting the Bears today. It is his second visit, with him already having visited the Eagles. Carter’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said he is declining visit requests for any team drafting outside the top 10 picks. “I’m confident Jalen will go in the top 10,”…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 3, 2023
This seems like an incredibly silly move for a player who is already on remarkably thin ice. After already showing character and work ethic concerns, Carter is now apparently willing to cross teams right off his list that he has no interest in (as if he makes the rules).
What Carter apparently doesn't understand is that teams outside of the top ten could have been willing to move up to take arguably the best player in the NFL Draft. Not anymore.
Steelers should have no interest in Jalen Carter
The feeling should be mutual for the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a prospect, Carter is fantastic. He has a solid blend of size and traits with outstanding power and pass-rush moves as an interior defender. It just so happens that the Steelers have a need for a competent interior defender alongside Cameron Heyward.
As much as a like Carter, the player, I'm out on him in the 2023 NFL Draft. There have been reports that multiple teams already have him off their board, and when you connect the breadcrumbs, it's not hard to see why.
Instead of mortgaging draft capital to move up for a talented player who had no interest in so much as fielding a call from a team like the Steelers prior to the draft, Pittsburgh would be much better to focus their efforts on talented players who actually want to be a part of a winning program.
This isn't to say that Jalen Carter won't have a great NFL career, but his concerns are running too deep for the Steelers to take a flier on one of the most talented players in this year's draft. I would let some other team take that gamble.