The Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting in such a good position this offseason that exactly what they will do with their first-round draft pick in 2023 is uncertain. The Steelers are picking at pick 17, assuming they do not trade, and while that is a better position than the team has been in a while, it does eliminate those very best players who will go before that. This leaves fans and analysts doing a lot of guessing and mock drafting about where they might go with their pick.
Joshua L Jones | Syndication: Online Athens
Jalen Carter chases Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud out of the pocket in the 2022 College Football Playoffs.
A number of people, including current defensive tackle Cam Heyward, are talking about who the Steelers should take if available. On his podcast, Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, the beloved veteran talks about Jalen Carter with his co-host Hayden Walsh.
Carter, a defensive tackle, spent three seasons with the University of Georgia Bulldogs. During his time in Georgia, he racked up 83 tackles, six sacks, and two forced fumbles and helped them win two CFP Championships.
The young tackle found himself in a precarious position during the NFL Combine when he was arrested for reckless driving and racing in relation to a crash that killed a teammate and a staff member on January 15, 2023. Carter was returned to the combine the next day and carried on with business as usual.
With the draft looming, Carter accepted a plea deal that requires him to fulfill 80 hours of community service, pay a $1,000 fine, and serve one year of probation.
The arrest has led to larger conversations about his maturity level and speculation on whether or not this will hurt his draft stock. Initially, Carter was expected to be a top-five pick, but more recent projections place him in the top 15. Frankly, NFL teams are not very squeamish about legal troubles in players that are good for ratings so it will be interesting to see where he lands. It is not outside of the realm of possibility that he will fall to the Steelers at 17.
Steelers' Cam Heyward Rolls That Jalen Carter Tape
Heyward is absolutely blown away by the talent displayed by Carter. That is high praise considering Heyward has been playing the same position at a Pro Bowl level for over a decade.
Heyward starts out by showing viewers how Carter excels at the line of scrimmage. Hey points out that Carter can tell his is going to be a draw because the center lifts his head rather than dropping back for a pass or rushing forward for a run.
Screenshot from Not Just Football With Cam Heyward
Jalen Carter is unbelievably quick off the line of scrimmage.
"That's the thing that separates Jalen and puts him at the top of this draft, he's got a hell of a good get-off. He makes sure he plays with that and is able to disrupt the line of scrimmage. If a guy's gonna use a move where he's trying to get you upfield and you force you backside. If you can beat him to the spot, that makes you a different player at a totally different level."
Walsh is curious if Carter was able to bust through the offensive line because he is so good or because the offensive line broke down. Heyward said that Carter is just that good.
"You can't really play off bad offensive lineman play, multiple teams do this play and they all try to force you in the wrong gap. He is able to squeeze that gap and make it harder on the o-linemen. Not a lot of d-linemen will do that."
Heyward says that Carter just exhibits elite-level defensive line skills, things you do not see from other rookies. He shows a clip from a Mississippi State game next, Carter barrels over the offensive line and sacks the quarterback.
Screenshot from Not Just Football With Cam Heyward
Georgia's Jalen Carter drags an offensive lineman with him on the way to the quarterback.
"This is where you really get to see him shine. Watch Jalen get off right here and he's just so physical that you [get] o-linemen leaning. Once you get an o-lineman leaning and trying to shoot two hands at you at the same time, that is not a good recipe for trying to block Jalen Carter or any top d-lineman in this draft."
"One thing I like is he accelerates to the quarterback, sometimes you have guys who beat the o-linemen that don't always accelerate."
Heyward cues another play and this one shows Carter pushing through and tearing past an o-lineman and sacking the quarterback. He details what it is that Carter does so well and credits both Carter's abilities as well as good coaching.
"The thing Jalen did right was he swiped and then he finished with the rip. The rip gets your hips in order, it changes where your hips are gonna go and you're using his momentum against him. That's clean defensive line play, you don't always get that with guys until they get to the next level."
More than anything Heyward is surprised to be discussing fullback play from a defensive player, but Carter does it all. Against a solid Arkansas Razorbacks defense, Carter comes in and takes out three defenders from the fullback spot.
Not Just Football With Cam Heyward
Jalen Carter from Georgia comes in as fullback and manhandles three defenders.
"He wants to lead the fight, he's not in to catch a pass, he's not in to run the ball, he's in there to mess stuff up. That's a beauty to see. If you can line him up at fullback and not let your running back get touched, that is doing something right."
What do you think about Carter? How do you feel about the charges he pled to? Does that bother you enough that you don't want him on the Steelers? Let us know what you think! Click to comment below!
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