Kirby Smart on Jalen Carter: 'He has freakish natural ability'
Georgia’s 2021 defense is still being talked about and rightfully so. It had five players taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. It was the driving force behind a 14-1 National Championship season but arguably the unit’s most talented player, one that included the No. 1 overall pick, is still around — Jalen Carter.
The former five-star prospect is expected to anchor a group that is replacing a ton of talent and experience but returns plenty of the former. Kirby Smart certainly believes that he has a special talent on his hands in Carter.
“Jalen, when he makes his mind up to do something, he has a freakish natural ability,” Smart said on 92.9’s ‘The Steakhouse’ with Steak Shapiro and Rusty Mansell. “He’s one of the most quickest (sic) twitch… it’s like a MIKE linebacker or a really good, athletic inside linebacker playing with his hand down because he can make movements and twists and suddenness, we call it body quickness. He has twitch. When you have that, most linemen can’t recover to that suddenness and twitch that he possesses.”
Carter accomplished a tough task a season ago. While playing on a defensive line that included three first-round picks, he stood out. He racked up 37 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks while serving as what amounted to a co-starter.
A year later he finds himself in the look-to leader role. Carter is the known commodity. Most NFL Draft analysts view him as a top 10, maybe top five, pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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His talent was on display in Georgia’s 49-3 season-opening win against Oregon. Carter had just one solo tackle but a closer look at the film shows him setting up camp in the Duck backfield. He delivered one of the most physically dominant highlights from the game when he blew up an Oregon offensive lineman on 3rd and 1 and narrowly missed the tackle for loss.
There were numerous other instances from that game when Jalen Carter got quick penetration. One took place on Oregon’s first third-down opportunity when Carter got pressure on the quarterback while it appeared as if he was being held on the play.
When Smart was asked to talk about Carter on Wednesday, the question referenced a guy Smart coached at Alabama — Marcell Dareus. The seventh-year head coach acknowledged that that there are some distinct differences between the two players while also pointing out that there are few limits to Carter’s versatility.
“Marcell was probably bigger and heavier, could play more nose and anchor, where Jalen can go out and play end, 5-technique, 4i, 3. He can play the full gamut because he’s a really good athlete, Smart said.”
