Nolan Smith vouches for character of teammates Jalen Carter
No one questioned Jalen Carters talent but plenty of people questioned his character during the pre-draft process. Thats why the Eagles were able to land one of the best players in the 2023 NFL Draft with the No. 9 pick.
Nolan Smith had a unique perspective on the whole situation.
I just always stood up for him just because it’s not him. I know Jalen, said Smith, who was Carters teammate at Georgia and now again in Philly after being selected at No. 30 by the Birds.
I know JC. I call him JC, I don’t even call him Jalen. I call him JC88. JC is just one of those guys that you can really count on to not only do his job, but he’s going to do his job plus more and then come dap you up and get everybody hyped up. That’s just the type of player he is. He’s one of the best guys to be around, to hang around, and I can’t wait for him to take me to dinner.
That last line brought about some laughter during the introductory press conference in Philadelphia for the Eagles newest Georgia Bulldogs. It added a bit of levity after a question about a serious topic.
Carter this spring was given 12 months probation and handed a $1,000 fine after pleading no contest misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing in a crash that killed his teammate Devin Willock and recruiting staff member Chandler Lecroy in January. The initial news of Carters arrest warrant broke just before Carters scheduled press conference at the NFL Combine and set NFL teams on a search for answers.
The Eagles did their research into Carter and obviously came away feeling comfortable drafting him. But on Thursday night, general manager Howie Roseman mentioned that sometimes young players coming into the NFL need to be developed and he wasnt just talking about the on-field product.
But Smith, like Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean, has spent a lot of time with Carter. He said the brotherhood between the Bulldogs is real.
And Carter appreciates his friend vouching for him.
It means a lot, Carter said. Like I said, when I first came to Georgia, I looked up to [Smith]. Even before I came to Georgia, I saw a couple highlights of practice where he was doing one-on-ones, and hes killing them guys out there, and I’ve just always been looking up to him, and just being able to play with him right now in the league is a dream come true.
The Eagles process for looking into draft prospects with character questions starts with chief security officer Dom DiSandro but it doesnt end there. They try to learn about the prospect in whatever ways they can.
In this case, the Eagles did ask Davis and Dean, who were previously teammates about Carter, for their thoughts. But Roseman also admitted that information probably isnt entirely objective.
We’re always asking our guys, hey, what do you think about this guy, you played with him, would he be a good fit here? Roseman said. We also understand that I’m not going to say bad things about my friends. If you asked me, hey, should I hire one of your friends, I’d say, yeah, he’s a great guy. We also understand that.
And maybe theres some of that going on with Smith and Carter. You wouldnt expect Smith to say anything bad about his friend or teammate. But he did make sure to vouch for his teammate and it seemed genuine.
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