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Back in February of this year, Jalen Carter, defensive tackle out of Georgia, was a consensus top three pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Some draft experts even considered him the best player in all of college football.
In the early stages of mock drafts, Carter was often mocked number one overall to the Chicago Bears before they eventually traded the pick to the Carolina Panthers on March 10th.
So why is it that when Jalen Carter slipped into the hands of the Chicago Bears at pick nine, they decided to move back only one spot with the Philadelphia Eagles and let them take Carter?
Ryan Poles refused to comment on why they passed on Carter in his press conference after day one concluded late Thursday night, but many already know why they chose to pass on him.
It’s the same reason that the other non quarterback needy teams passed on him before the fate of Carter fell into the hands of Ryan Poles. His character issues off the field were glaring, and he showed teams his lack of effort by showing up to his pro day overweight and out of shape.
This doesn’t mean that Carter is going to go on and have an unsuccessful career by any means. Like any other 22 year old, people slip up and make mistakes.
I’ll be the first to admit that I would have loved to have given Jalen Carter the opportunity to thrive in the NFL. I was disappointed that we did not give Carter the chance to reach his extremely high ceiling, but at the same time, can you blame Ryan Poles?
This was Ryan Poles first ever first round selection, and one that he will be tied to for the rest of his career. For a general manager who is working on building a locker room and a culture, it’s not always the smartest to take on the potential weight of someone like Carter.
On the other hand for general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles Howie Roseman, this pick is well worth the risk for him. His defensive line is already a dominant force, he has built multiple winning teams over the last five years, if Carter doesn’t pan out, it’s okay.
So who did Ryan Poles decide to ultimately tie a piece of his legacy to? That would be offensive tackle out of Tennessee, Darnell Wright.
Wright is a six-foot-six, 335 pound athlete who fits exactly what Ryan Poles is looking for in an offensive tackle. Wright has experience at both left and right tackle, and has made 42 starts total on an SEC offensive line.
He stood out in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, putting together stellar performances against names like Travon Walker, Nolan Smith, BJ Ojulari, Bryan Bresee, and the 3rd overall pick in this year's draft, Will Anderson.
Not only did Will Anderson get shut down against Darnell Wright in the game against Tennessee back in October of 2022, he also offered him the highest of praise.
Anderson went as far as calling him “the best offensive tackle” he faced in college football and pointed out “his ability to mirror rushers and anchor at his size” in a conversation with reporters at the combine back in March.
Not only is he receiving raving comments from his peers, but from around the NFL media as well.
Former NFL offensive lineman and now NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger had Wright as his number one ranked offensive tackle in the draft. While ESPN’s Louis Riddick said after the selection on Thursday night, that Darnell Wright “has the ability to be the best player in this draft”.
Now drafting an offensive tackle in the first round is not really something that gets you jumping out of your seat but this is a selection that Chicago fans should be really excited about.
Not only because of the pick, but what the pick stands for. Ryan Poles has now twice doubled down on Justin Fields, by attempting to set him up for success.
Poles had Bryce Young staring him in the eyes and he decided to move back to pick nine and acquire wide receiver DJ Moore. He had Jalen Carter, a perfect fit for head coach Matt Eberflus’ 3-tech position, also staring him in the face at nine.
Instead, he gave Justin Fields a much needed bodyguard..
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