Early in the pre-draft process, it looked like the only way to land a true blue-chip prospect would be to own a top-5 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Prior to their late-season surge, tanking seemed like an option fans were willing to explore as the Pittsburgh Steelers sat on a 2-6 record and were on the verge of humiliation.
Ultimately, they played themselves out of contention for the few elite players in the draft... or so we thought. Recently, Georgia defensive tackle, Jalen Carter, ran into some trouble with the law as he was booked on reckless driving and racing charges. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Carter paid his $4,000 bond and was released prior to attending the NFL Combine for interviews and measurements.
Carter is a high-profile prospect that has been talked about as the potential top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft ever since last year's draft concluded. The Georgia stud has an uncanny ability to win on the line of scrimmage. This earned the 21-year-old defensive tackle a 92.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus -- making him PFF's 2nd overall player in the upcoming draft.
Now with some potential character issues that could have some teams concerned, a recent report from Mike Sando of The Athletic suggests that Carter might not even be among the top 10 picks in the NFL Draft when it's all said and done.
Should Steelers prep for a Jalen Carter tumble in the NFL Draft
The Steelers had a handful of formal meetings with interior defenders at the 2023 NFL Combine, but Jalen Carter was not among them. While it does seem like Carter's incident was more foolish than it was malicious, it's very important for teams to vet the situation and the character thoroughly before making a decision.
Nobody doubts that Carter isn't a terrific prospect, so the idea of being able to land a top 2-3 player outside of the top 10 has to be intriguing. It's been a long time since the Steelers have been willing to gamble on players that have had run-ins with the law, but perhaps Carter would make them change their minds.
The interior defensive line remains a big need for Pittsburgh. Outside of an aging Cameron Heyward, they don't currently have another player they can turn to who can offer consistent play from game to game. They are hoping to get some of that from last year's third-round pick, DeMarvin Leal, but they still need much more.
Carter wins very similarly to how Javon Hargrave has these past few seasons with the Eagles: as one of the best interior pass-rushers in the league. However, the Georgia prospect is much stouter as a run defender and is a significantly better prospect coming out of college.
Drafting a player like Carter would force the Steelers to ignore several other pressing needs in the NFL Draft, but if they can find a blue-chip player outside of the top 10, this is something worth considering.
Quite frankly, if Carter is indeed falling this far on day one of the draft, it means that plenty of teams have him off their board. I don't believe the uber-talented defensive prospect will fall as far as some claim he will, but the Pittsburgh Steelers need to do their homework on him just in case.