Eagles Rookie Review: Jalen Carter has the talent to be Defensive Player of the Year

Philadelphia’s second-year defensive tackle has elite potential.

One of my favorite things to do every off-season is to compare my post-draft notes on the Eagles’ rookies and then analyze how they performed when they got a chance. I won’t write a full scouting report because I always do that after they are drafted. You can find Jalen Carter’s full scouting report here.

Stats

These are extremely good numbers for a rookie. The standout statistic is ranking 15th in pressures despite only having the 26th amount of pass-rushing snaps.

Overall

Before we get into Carter’s play, let’s look at what I said about him last year.

I see Carter as an elite prospect as a disruptive 3 technique, but he can do it all. He could play anywhere along the defensive line and would be fine. He’s a high-level prospect with outstanding traits and the film to back it up. He has an explosive element to his game and can win in so many ways. He can be over-aggressive at times and could anchor better at times, but the upside is as high as anyone in this class.

Trading up for Jalen Carter was my dream outcome this year. I think he is a phenomenal talent. The most talented player in the class, regardless of position, and the upside is extremely high. Carter can play so many roles in this Eagles’ defense. He can play as one of the 4i defensive tackles next to Jordan Davis as part of a 5-man front, but can also play as a traditional 3 technique in 4-man fronts. Carter isn’t big enough to be a pure-nose tackle, but he is big enough to play as a 1-technique, too, if needed. I wouldn’t be stunned to see him play some 1-technique against certain teams to rotate Davis. I absolutely love Carter as a 4i next to a nose tackle and as part of a 5-man front, because it should allow him to get a lot of one-on-one matchups. Just like this!

He should be able to play on early downs, pass-rushing downs, and you may even see him play at defensive end at times on obvious pass-rushing downs. He is a unique talent who should contribute instantly to the Eagles’ defense, especially in run defense, and will play a lot of meaningful snaps this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he surpasses Fletcher Cox on pass-rushing downs next year, and we see a lot of Jalen Carter next to Milton Williams on pass-rushing downs.

Well, this is hardly a surprise. You didn’t have to be an expert scout to predict that Jalen Carter was going to be very, very good. Carter did not disappoint. Carter showcased everything that I hoped he would. Rookies usually take some time to get going, but Carter was making offensive linemen look stupid the moment he entered the league. He is already a well-rounded pass rusher who can win in numerous different ways, and linemen struggled to handle him one-on-one throughout the season. Look at the strength in his left hand here to shove the guard aside. His feet just don’t stop moving.

Even when defensive linemen do manage to handle his quickness at the snap, Carter has the athletism and movement to counter and get to the quarterback. I’ve watched a lot of good defensive tackles play for the Eagles over the past decade. I can’t remember any of them making offensive linemen look silly so frequently. Carter did this as a rookie!

Look at this for a club-over move. My goodness. The guard is in a pretty good position, and Carter walks past him. There are a lot of good pass rushers in the NFL. There are not many pass rushers who make their opponents look like amateurs. Only the very best do that. Jalen Carter can do that.

This was his best play of the season. What else is there to say? He makes the right guard look like he’s never played before.

Everyone talks about Carter because of his pass-rushing traits, but I think his work against the run is equally impressive at times. A handful of linemen in the league can make a play like this. A defensive lineman over 300 lbs should not move that quickly. I’ve been ‘scouting’ the NFL Draft online for about 10 years now. Carter received the 2nd highest grade I have ever given to a defensive tackle. Aaron Donald was the only player I had above him. This play reminds me of Aaron Donald.

However, it is absolutely fair to point out that Carter was not as good as the season went on. I think he looked knackered out there at times, and he had too many snaps where he ended up on the ground. I pointed out the overaggressiveness before the season, and I think we saw this too. At times, in run defense, he tries to get upfield or abandon his gap, but I think elite players can sometimes be a little selfish, and this is something we should probably get used to. Carter wins with his athleticism and explosiveness a lot, and really good offensive linemen started to have a read on him as the season went on. At times, he was too eager to get up the field, and this resulted in him losing balance when rushing the passer as he was almost falling forward. As well as this, I expect Eagles’ coaches to work on Carter’s hand usage this offseason and I hope he continues to develop.

Despite this, no one can argue that Carter did not have an outstanding rookie season. He was the Eagles’ best defensive lineman and had a fantastic season. He was athletically gifted in college and still looked like a physical freak at the next level.

The Future

Whisper this quietly, but Jalen Carter has the talent to be the Defensive Player of the Year. Those of you who have read my articles for a while know that I don’t like to use hyperbole. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever said that about another Eagles’ defensive player since I have been writing for BGN. Before someone quotes me, I don’t expect him to win it this year! I am just saying that the upside is sky-high and he has that level of talent.

I do think Carter has things he will have to work on, though, and I expect a lot of it is off the field. There have been character concerns in his past, and Carter will have to stay motivated off the field in order to reach his ceiling. I think conditioning was an issue this past year, and he regressed as the season went on, so I want to see him able to do it on a weekly basis while playing a lot of snaps. Sometimes, players who are athletically gifted can become lazy with their technique as they don’t rely on it like other players. The difference between Carter being outstanding and the best in the league at his position will likely depend on what he does off the field.

Additionally, Vic Fangio historically likes to play his pass-rushing stars a lot, so I expect he will want Carter to play a lot of snaps this year. Christian Wilkins played 894 snaps last year. When asked about Jalen Carter, Vic Fangio stated this, per ESPN: “He’s got to get in great shape, and I think he’s off to a great start here, so we can play him a lot.”

I think Fangio makes it pretty clear that Jalen Carter is going to be a huge part of this defense moving forward, and that’s pretty exciting for all Eagles fans.

If you want even more analysis on the Eagles’ rookies, I have spoken about a few of them on my podcast over at Eagles Pin-Pull Network which you can find here. Please feel free to listen!