Bird Bound?

One of the most talented prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter made headlines when agent Drew Rosenhaus publicly announced his client will only take meetings with teams picking in the top 10, even in the midst of major legal questions.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah believes this is a result of an organization assuring Carter of a draft selection if he falls to them, telling “The Pat McAfee Show” that signs point toward the Philadelphia Eagles being that team.

"The Eagles would be my educated guess on why Jalen Carter isn't taking meetings outside of the top ten" ~ @MoveTheSticks#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/mfjCnairvy

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 4, 2023

With the drafting of Carter’s college teammates DT Jordan Davis and LB Nakobe Dean in 2022, Philadelphia is becoming the NFL home of the Georgia Bulldogs defense, the gold standard for college football and back-to-back NCAA champions.

Shortly after Super Bowl LVII, the team also conducted an interview with Georgia’s defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann for the same position, who eventually elected to remain in Athens.

Philadelphia, who owns both the #10 and #30 pick in the draft, is always a safe bet to draft in the trenches early.

“Being a team that’s pass rush obsessed, when I heard he’s not taking meetings outside of the top 10, [I know] he has a backstop somewhere and the Eagles would be my educated guess,” Jeremiah said.

Despite the signing of a rotational piece, Philadelphia’s defensive line room has yet to truly replace the production of the departing Javon Hargrave’s 11 sacks in 2022.

For his on-field play alone, the Eagles would be thrilled to add a player of Carter’s caliber to new DC Sean Desai’s unit.

“He is the best talent in the draft. If he had a clean process, he would have been my number one player,” Jeremiah said.

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com

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