The draft is five days away. It feels like things are finally coming into focus. Bryce Young is going #1 overall to Carolina. Houston likely won’t take a quarterback at #2. Perhaps the most consistent rumor in recent days is the belief that Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter will land with the Seattle Seahawks at 5th overall. It isn’t a huge surprise. Pete Carroll is no stranger to taking gambles on players of iffy character if the talent is high enough. Carter would fit that profile and could be a big help for what the Seahawks need.
However, at least one insider is hearing it differently. Benjamin Allbright has strong connections around the league. He wrote up several things he’s been getting from sources. One of them involved a very notable detail on Carter.
“The Seattle Seahawks seem to be going out of their way to encourage media to think they will be selecting embattled Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter fifth overall.”
This is a clear suggestion that the Seahawks buzz is nothing more than a carefully fed smokescreen. Seattle has their eyes on another player and doesn’t want to tip other teams off to their interest. This could have major implications if true, especially for the Chicago Bears.
Jalen Carter dropping to #9 becomes very real in that scenario.
Getting past Seattle means there is only one landing spot left that feels like a strong possibility. That would be Detroit at #6. However, most experts believe the Lions will look to add one of the top cornerbacks or possibly trade down with a team hoping to jump in front of Las Vegas at #6 for a quarterback. As for the Raiders, they’re expected to add either a QB or a corner. Defensive line is not their biggest concern. That leaves Atlanta at #8. Allbright pointed out they’ve been doing a lot of homework on cornerbacks too. So it’s possible #6, #7, and #8 go corner, quarterback, corner.
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That means Jalen Carter is there when Ryan Poles goes on the clock. Every indication from multiple insiders, both national and local, suggests the Bears GM is fully prepared to pull the trigger in such a scenario. He views Carter as a blue-chip talent and doesn’t seem to fear the off-the-field concerns surrounding him. The team has done tons of extra work on Carter for months, meeting with him personally, his friends, his family, coaches, and teammates. If they weren’t getting satisfactory answers, there is no way they’d consider taking such a gamble.
One thing is for sure. If Carter is there at #9, the drama will be insane.
