Top draft fits for Georgia DL Jalen Carter

Had it not been for some off-the-field drama, Jalen Carter would have had a strong case to be a top-three pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

But his 12-month sentence of probation as a result of pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing coupled with his pro day issues (showing up overweight, not finishing drills) have pushed Carter out of the top five and closer to the No. 10 overall range.

Many teams still have a high first-round grade on Carter, who should hear his name called early next Thursday night. Draft position aside, here are the three best fits for Carter as he makes the jump to the NFL.

Chicago Bears

Carter has everything a defensive coordinator could want out of a franchise defensive tackle — burst off the line, strength to bully offensive linemen, speed to disrupt the backfield and finishing prowess. All things the Bears did not get from their defensive line last season.

The Bears had the fewest sacks in the NFL in 2022 (20) and the team generated just 162 pressures and 114 hurries — very little of which came from the defensive line. Plugging Cater into the middle of Chicago’s defensive front instantly makes it a formidable run-stopping and pass-rushing unit.

Detroit Lions

Bolstering the defense is presumably the top priority for the Lions in this draft, and Carter would be a home run selection. Detroit had the fourth-worst run defense and boasted a middle-to-the-pack pass-rushing unit. Carter would help fix both.

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Carter totaled 30 or more tackles, seven or more tackles for loss and three sacks each of the last two seasons at Georgia. Running out a defensive line that features Carter in the middle plus Aidan Hutchinson (53 pressures, 37 hurries, 9.5 sacks) and John Cominsky (44 pressures, 32 hurries, four sacks) on the edges gives the Lions a much more respectable front seven than they had a year ago.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is known for producing stingy run defenses, and there have been reports that Pittsburgh could employ more 4-3 schemes this year than in years past.

Carter boasts a great deal of speed, strength and explosiveness at DT, and he seems like a logical successor to Cameron Heyward, who’s going into his 13th season in 2023. A potential Carter-Heyward tandem could wreak havoc up the middle, bolstering Pittsburgh’s run defense while presenting matchup nightmares of opposing interior offensive linemen.