Jalen Carter and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have been vindicated for a controversial decision after being selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.
Georgia defensive tackle Carter was the top talent on many analysts' draft boards, but off-field concerns saw him slide out of contention to be taken in the top five. But that did not stop the 22-year-old and his team from taking a risk by declaring he would not take part in any pre-draft visits to franchises picking outside the top 10, drawing criticism and setting up the possibility he could slide deep into the first round if the top 10 picks passed him by.
Carter was questioned by scouts for a perceived lack of effort in practice during his time at Georgia, and he attracted further scrutiny after facing two misdemeanours charges in connection with a car crash that killed two people in January. He pleaded no contest to the charges last month, being sentenced to 12 months probation and being ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and complete 80 hours of community service.
