ESPN's Todd McShay explains why embattled DL Jalen Carter won't fall out of Top 10

The draft stock of former Georgia star Jalen Carter has been a topic of conversation since an arrest warrant came out for him ahead of the NFL combine. The talent he brings is a big reason why ESPN analyst Todd McShay has him in his top five, he said on ESPN’s Get Up Tuesday.

McShay dropped his Mock Draft 4.0 Tuesday morning and projected Carter to go to the Seattle Seahawks as the No. 5 overall selection. That’s up from his previous mock, which had Carter outside the top 10 and going No. 12 overall to the Houston Texans.

Much has been made about Carter’s issues off the field, including the two misdemeanors against him stemming from January’s fatal crash and his weight at Georgia’s pro day. But McShay argued Carter is still the best player on the board, which is why he thinks the top 10 is a good landing spot.

“Jalen Carter, let’s just lay it on the table. He’s the best prospect in the entire 2023 NFL Draft,” McShay said. “It’s rare to find a guy that can get consistent pressure from the interior and be also as dominant vs. the run. The problem is there’s football character, there’s personal character, and a lot of questions about it. And to me, the football character plus the off-the-field incident with a former teammate and a staff member passing away in the car wreck, and then showing up nine pounds overweight to the pro day, it’s a lot of red flags. So I think he goes five to 10, somewhere in that range.”

Carter pleaded no-contest to reckless driving and racing charges against him in relation to a car crash in January that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy. The AJC reported he was sentenced to 12 months probation, a $1,000 fine, 80 hours of community service and must complete a defensive driving course. 

Multiple teams have reportedly taken Carter off the board in the wake of the off-field incidents and his pro day. But on Monday, Carter visited with the Chicago Bears, who currently hold the No. 9 overall pick after trading back from No. 1.

It sounds like Carter’s representatives are stumping hard for him to land in the top 10, too. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporter Carter’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, isn’t taking meetings with teams outside the top 10. That report came out the same day body cam footage of Carter’s involvement in the crash surfaced.

“I’m confident Jalen will go in the top 10,” Rosenhaus told Schefter. “He’s a good person, a family man, loves football and is a generational talent.”

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.