The Philadelphia Eagles are the NFL's best team halfway through the season.
While most of their success has stemmed from the team that went to the Super Bowl last year, the Eagles are also getting major contributions from rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Bleacher Report graded every first-round rookie through the first nine weeks of the season and gave Carter an A.
"Carter's ability to dominate matchups has turned him into a focal point of offensive lines week in and week out. No other rookie 1- or 3-technique is within the same stratosphere in affecting the quarterback through eight games," Bleacher Report writes. "A gap-clogger in the run game who can pin his ears back and rip through even the most technically sound linemen in the game, he's been a home run addition by Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman."
Carter has given the Eagles another mainstay on the defensive line. Considering the fact that Fletcher Cox is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, the Eagles now have his replacement that could keep his spot on the defense for years to come.
Carter also has become the favorite for the Defensive Rookie of the Year with his play, a sign that Philadelphia has done very well by drafting him with the No. 9 overall pick.
Carter and the Eagles are on bye this week, but they will return to the field on Monday Night Football on Nov. 20 in a Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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