Jalen Carter Assured by Teams He'll Be Drafted in Top 10, Drew Rosenhaus Says

Agent Drew Rosenhaus, who represents NFL draft prospect Jalen Carter, made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show and discussed the notion of his client not meeting with teams that will either be picking in the top 10 or exploring trading up to target the Georgia defensive lineman.

"Teams in the top 10 have said to me—and I'm not going to identify those teams, obviously—but top-10 teams have said 'we're taking your guy if he's there.'" Rosenhaus said. "Why would I send Jalen to go meet a team, travel, rehash all the difficult offseason that he's had to go through and put him through that when that team's not going to get him?"

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Carter has met with the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, who are picking ninth and 10th respectively.

Schefter also noted Rosenhaus has said Carter will only meet with teams that could pick in the top 10, underscoring Wednesday's comments.

There was a time when the defensive tackle was seen as a potential candidate to be taken with the No. 1 pick. However, the Bears traded that selection to the quarterback-needy Carolina Panthers, and the Houston Texans could look toward the signal-callers as well with the second pick.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Alabama's Bryce Young go with the first two picks before some maneuvering happens as other teams try to position themselves to land the best players available.

While the shift to quarterback has been one development since the end of the college football season, there was also Carter's legal situation and his struggles at his pro day when he showed up heavier than expected.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported last month that the 22-year-old pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing in connection with a crash that killed Georgia teammate Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy. As a result, he received 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service, although his attorney, Kim Stephens, said the state cannot bring future charges against him as part of the agreement.

On the field, Carter helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back College Football Playoff national titles and showed enough as a player to be a top-10 pick before the other concerns emerged this offseason.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department projected him as the No. 5 overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks in its most recent mock draft.