David Pollack exposes old narrative surrounding Jalen Carter after Super Bowl win

David Pollack was ready to go to war for Jalen Carter.

During what would end up being one of his final appearances on ESPN before being laid off later that summer, Pollack was part of ABC’s broadcast of the 2023 NFL Draft when Carter — the massive 6-foot-3 and 315-pound defensive tackle out of Georgia — slipped to No. 9 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles due in large part to a negative perception about Carter’s character.

“The thing about Jalen Carter is he dropped a little bit, but we all talked about him universally and everybody had him No. 1 on their board,” Pollack said Feb. 12 on the David Pollack College Football podcast. “I remember getting into a little bit of an argument on set with someone … but they were talking about Jalen Carter’s character, and I got a little bit upset because they talked about him being lazy. And I didn’t see that at Georgia.”

Of course, part of the narrative about Carter’s character arose out of concerns stemming from his March 1st arrest for reckless driving and racing due to his alleged involvement a fatal Athens car wreck that resulted in the deaths of Georgia staffer Chandler LeCroy and Bulldogs offensive lineman Devin Willock in mid-January 2023. Carter was allegedly racing LeCroy when the accident occured and was sentenced to 12 months probation along with other minor penalties after pleading no contest in mid-March that year.

David Pollack: Jalen Carter’s ‘competitive character was really, really good’

Since being drafted, Carter has more than silenced many of his draft-day critics while becoming what many consider the NFL’s most impactful defensive tackle. That was especially true during the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX-winning 2024 season, in which the Georgia alum dominated opposing offensive lines week-in and week-out enroute to earning second-team All-Pro honors.

Through his first two NFL seasons, Carter has combined for 75 total tackles (45 solo), 20 tackles for loss and 10 1/2 sacks along with four fourced fumbles and one returned for a touchdown in 2023.

Suffice it to say, Carter has affirmed Pollack’s unflinching support of his fellow Bulldogs alumnus.

“I watched a lot of tape, his competitive character was really, really good,” Pollack continued. “He cares about the game, that with the strength, with the hands. You could see that dude competed really, really hard, but just had some special gifts. And that’s what you look at (when drafting).”

Carter is famously one of six former Georgia defenders on the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX-winning roster this past season, joined by fellow defensive tackle Jordan Davis, linebackers Nakobe Dean and Nolan Smith, and defensive backs Kelee Ringo and Lewis Cine.

“Obviously the Eagles said: ‘I like the way that Kirby (Smart) coaches, I like the way they develop. These dudes are tough, they’re physical, I know what I’m getting from them. I’m not worried about who they are as character people, their football character,’ and that’s why you draft those guys,” Pollack concluded.