Todd McShay reveals Georgia DT Jalen Carter has 'character issues' that could scare off NFL teams

One of the early debates for the 2023 NFL Draft is whether Jalen Carter or Will Anderson will be the first defensive player off the board. ESPN’s Todd McShay projected Carter would go first to the Seattle Seahawks in his first mock draft of the year on Tuesday, and shared an interesting reason why that’d be a good fit for him.

McShay joined Max Kellerman on ESPN’s “This Just In” and said Carter has “character issues,” which could impact where he goes in the draft. However, he thinks the Seahawks would be an ideal landing spot under Pete Carroll’s tutelage if they’re in position to take him.

“Here’s the thing with Jalen Carter: He has character issues, and the closer we get to the draft, the more we’re going to hear about how some teams are really concerned about it,” McShay said. “But with Pete Carroll, he has a history of bringing in guys with a questionable character and making it work. If you’re not worried about the character, he’s the best defensive player in the country.

“Look at the last three games when he came back off the ankle injury and what he did, just absolutely destroying offensive game plans. … He has a chance to be one of the special, elite interior defensive linemen in the NFL. For a team like Seattle that’s not that concerned about the character issues when it comes to guys because of Pete Carroll’s history, it just made sense to me. Listen, if Will Anderson was the pick, I’d love that, too.”

Carter had a huge year for Georgia this year as the anchor of the Bulldogs’ staunch defense. He had 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in 11 games to help Georgia to a perfect 12-0 record and another College Football Playoff appearance. The Bulldogs are now getting ready for the Peach Bowl against Ohio State on New Year’s Eve to try and get back to the national championship.