Jalen Carter's NFL debut spurs fans’ regret for teams passing on Eagles star in NFL Draft - “Dude is going to be sick”

Jalen Carter was set to be a top-five pick in the NFL Draft in April this year but fell down the draft board of some teams. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman took the University of Georgia star ninth overall.

Many fans at the time saw this pick by Philadelphia as a steal and they may have been right. His first snap in his NFL debut saw him in the Ravens' backfield nearly getting a sack.

Fans took to Reddit to share how impressed they were with Carter's effort and teams regretting passing on him:

Comment by u/axman54 from discussion [PFF] Jalen Carter’s first snap in the NFL went well in nfl

Comment by u/TouchGrassRedditor from discussion [PFF] Jalen Carter’s first snap in the NFL went well in nfl

Comment by u/Trumpets22 from discussion [PFF] Jalen Carter’s first snap in the NFL went well in nfl

Comment by u/imnotwarren from discussion [PFF] Jalen Carter’s first snap in the NFL went well in nfl

Comment by u/V_Concerned from discussion [PFF] Jalen Carter’s first snap in the NFL went well in nfl

Comment by u/theprophetsammy from discussion [PFF] Jalen Carter’s first snap in the NFL went well in nfl

Some fans remained split on teams passing on Jalen Carter being a great idea, specifically the Chicago Bears fans.

The Bears took offensive lineman Darnell Wright the pick after Carter at No. 10:

Comment by u/Glad_Championship187 from discussion [PFF] Jalen Carter’s first snap in the NFL went well in nfl

Comment by u/MindSpecter from discussion [PFF] Jalen Carter’s first snap in the NFL went well in nfl

Comment by u/Glad_Championship187 from discussion [PFF] Jalen Carter’s first snap in the NFL went well in nfl

Comment by u/gavincantdraw from discussion [PFF] Jalen Carter’s first snap in the NFL went well in nfl

A reason why some NFL teams may have passed on Carter was due to a tragic incident that took place in January. The defensive lineman was connected to a fatal crash, following Georgia's national championship win over TCU.

Teammate Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy were killed in that crash. Carter was charged with reckless driving for supposedly racing a vehicle that took the lives of Willock and LeCroy in March.

His arrest became news during the NFL Scouting Combine, forcing him to leave the event to turn himself into authorities.

Carter pled no contest to a misdemeanor charge and got a sentence of a year's probation. He also got 80 hours of community service, a driving class and a $1K fine.

In the end, the Philadelphia Eagles felt he was worth the risk to add to their stacked defensive line.

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Jalen Carter's collegiate career at Georgia

Carter at the University of Georgia (#88)

Jalen Carter started just eight games in his freshman year with the Bulldogs. In total, he played in all but two games in his three seasons at Georgia.

He won the Peach Bowl as a freshman in the 2020 season and was a two-time national champion by the end of his collegiate career.

The team had a 37-3 record in Carter's three seasons on campus. He was Second-Team All-SEC in his sophomore season.

His final season with Georgia as a junior saw him earn plenty of honors. Carter was a unanimous First-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC. In total, he had 83 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and six sacks with the Bulldogs.