Here’s what NFL teams are saying about Jalen Carter’s draft stock after alleged involvement in tragic crash comes to light

INDIANAPOLIS. Thunderbolt erupted on Wednesday morning, just 30 minutes before draft prospect Jalen Carter was scheduled to speak to reporters at the NFL Scouting Association.

An arrest warrant for Carter, a former University of Georgia All-American quarterback, was issued by the Athens-Clark County Police Department on two charges of reckless driving and racing in the January crash that killed a Georgia attack lineman. Devin Willock and team member Chandler LeCroy. Carter later posted a statement on his Twitter account saying that he is heading back to Athens to face the charges that have been leveled against him.

The focus should continue to be on the deaths of young people. But there is also the simple reality that this situation leaves Carter’s draft fund in some limbo.

Carter is being talked about as a potential first pick in this year’s draft, with many analysts outright calling him the best player in the 2023 class. This potential is now a key part of how this happens.

Carter’s situation is firmly in the “wait and see” part of the draft process, according to a source who works for a top-five draft team, speaking on condition of anonymity, as teams get more information about Carter’s participation in the draft. crash.

Another source told Sportzshala Sports that the hard truth is that Carter may not fall at all if the two wrongdoings limit what goes on legally. “He is one of those players who is special enough to live through something like this. If this is the worst of the news,” a source told Sportzshala Sports.

When Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer was asked about a warrant for Carter’s arrest, he said he didn’t want to jump to conclusions. This opinion will be repeated many times because Carter is highly advertised in this year’s class.

It’s unclear right now if teams knew an arrest warrant would be issued this morning, but it appears to have at least caught the NFL combine a little off guard. Following the announcement of a warrant for Carter’s arrest, bleacher interviews with other linebackers present in Indianapolis were put on hold, and Carter never appeared at his bleacher with reporters.

We are still too early to find out exactly what role Carter played in the January crash. But that’s the more slippery part of the NFL’s business that viewers should be well aware of by now. If a player is talented enough in what he does, the sins of the past can be forgotten. On the sliding scale of actions that cause NFL prospects to drop draft commissions, two wrongdoings for a prospect who positions himself as a future All-Pro in his position can be fairly easily overlooked.

Assuming the police reports of the events are correct, this is a tragic incident that could have been completely avoided. It also doesn’t necessarily mean that Carter’s drawbar power will decrease.

Show a little leniency to the lost youths, but don’t be surprised if Carter still hears his name at the start of the 2023 draft hearings. The NFL is still the NFL.