ESPN's Mel Kiper reveals why Jalen Carter's disappointing pro day won't impact NFL Draft stock

As the 2023 NFL Draft quickly approaches, one of the more intriguing names on the board is former Georgia standout Jalen Carter. He appeared to be a potential top-four pick before an arrest warrant came out ahead of the NFL scouting combine, and there have been differing opinions on when he could hear his name called.

Count ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. as someone who thinks Carter can still be a top-10 pick.

Kiper joined ESPN’s Get Up Tuesday morning after dropping his mock draft 3.0, in which he projected Carter to go to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 6 overall. Between the legal issues and a disappointing pro day, there have been questions about where Carter will go in the draft.

Kiper isn’t taking any of that into consideration. He’s looking at what he saw during the Bulldogs’ national championship season in 2022 and is using that as his reason for keeping Carter in the top 10.

“You’ve got to keep in mind. Pro days are pro days,” Kiper said. “That’s not playing football. … All that stuff is away from the football field. On the football field, Jalen Carter was phenomenal and Jalen Carter came back from an ankle and a knee in September to finish out the year to help this team win a national title. So, when you look at on the field, he’s the best player. As a football player, he’s the best player in this draft.

“I think teams from five where Seattle picks down to 10 where Philadelphia picks and everyone in between there from 5-10 there could use a Jalen Carter. That’s why I don’t think he’ll fall very far come late April.”

Kiper’s projection for Carter is different from ESPN colleague Todd McShay, who had Carter going No. 12 overall to the Houston Texans in his latest mock draft. That mock draft came before Carter’s pro day. He only did position drills — meaning he didn’t run a 40-yard dash or other testing — and weighed in nine pounds heavier than he did ahead of the NFL combine.

Carter later pleaded no-contest to the 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.