Just two games into his NFL career, Eagles rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter is making an impact. He’s a disruptive force, both in the run game and rushing the passer.
Not surprisingly, he’s already drawing very lofty comparisons.
Former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner was a guest on the Takeoff with John Clark podcast, and was asked if Carter reminds him of any players he’s seen.
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He immediately recalled one particular player he shared the field with, a cornerstone of the Eagles' top-ranked defense of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
“He has the abilities of Jerome Brown when I watch him play, in a lot of ways he looks just like him,” Joyner said. “The thing about Jerome, he could play all the downs. I mean, he could destroy you in the running game, he could destroy you rushing the passer against a center or a guard, or a combination of the two. When you watch Jalen Carter play, he’s of that same ilk. He can dominate in the run game because he’s very good with his hands and his feet and he’s just awesome in the pass rush because for a young player, he has counter moves.”
Jerome Brown was a two-time first-team All-Pro defensive tackle, and was on his way to a likely Hall of Fame career when a car accident took his life at the age of 27. His jersey number 99 hangs in the rafters of Lincoln Financial Field.
Carter’s counter moves are giving his opponents fits. Although he has only played 68 total snaps, he ranks first in the NFL in QB hurries with ten, along with eleven pressures, which is tied for fourth.
Philadelphia Eagles
The comparisons didn’t end with Brown. Joyner added that one move Carter has already made was patented by a player who most believe is the greatest defensive player in Eagles history.
“Most players, you know, they either have speed or their power. He can go speed-to-power. He can, you know, I've seen him do the Reggie White Hump Move, in Week 1 on one guy.
“He's got all the tools and right now you listen to him talk, he says ‘the coaches are telling me, you know, to play more physical, to be more physical. But when I played in Georgia, I was more of a finesse player.’
“Well, listen, once he learns how to combine the physical aspect of it with the finesse and understand when and where to apply each one, he's gonna be unstoppable, he's gonna be unblockable, because he's already there right now.”
Two games played, two comparisons, to two of the team’s all-time greats.
Not bad at all.
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