The 2023 NFL Draft is now just two weeks away. The tape has been ground. The spiders have been charted. All that's left to do is kick this thing off and make some dang picks.
And with the first round bearing down on us at full speed, the Eagles chatter has started ossifying around one name: Jalen Carter. Will he be on the board at No. 10? And if he is... will Howie Roseman take that chance?
We mocked Carter to the Eagles in our most recent mock draft. NBC Sports Philadelphia's Dave Zangaro dedicated a good chunk of a recent mailbag to the Carter question. He's a perfect fit for the team's needs and possibly the most talented player in this year's class, but he also comes with legal and character question marks that make him a risk.
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MORE: Top Eagles positional needs heading into the 2023 draft
But NFL super-insider Adam Schefter makes it at least sound like Carter to the Eagles is a big ol' possibility.
Schefter joined 97.5 The Fanatic's The John Kincade Show this week to talk all things Eagles and NFL Draft, and the most intriguing stuff he mentioned during his hit pertained to the Eagles and Carter. Here's what Schefter is seeing, and thinking, about the possibility:
"When you talk to people around that Georgia program, they say that one guy - maybe *the* one guy - that kept Jalen Carter really in line was Jordan Davis. When he was around Jordan Davis, he was on some of his best behavior. Philly would have that advantage, bringing [Carter] to Philly and having Jordan Davis as a guy that could help out there.
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"He's the guy in this year's draft that, outside of the quarterbacks, is really fascinated and intrigued to see: what happens to this all-world talent and who is the one that turns in the pick on him? I'll say this: I think there's a decent chance that the Eagles are the team that has that decision to make here."
Hmmmm. That first nugget about Jordan Davis sure feels pointed, and you can bet that if the Eagles make Carter the pick we'll be hearing about that exact same detail from Howie Roseman either in a draft night press conference or a story about their process over the summer. It's exactly the kind of "We did our homework, we swear!" detail you disseminate to reporters when you take a risk.
The second sound bite from Schefter sounds like he's subtly head-nodding towards everyone's suspicions: if Carter is there at No. 10, the Eagles are going to pick him. And earlier in his hit, Schefter said he could feasibly see four quarterbacks going in the Top 10. That would leave room for Will Anderson Jr., Tyree Wilson, Christian Gonzalez, and Devon Witherspoon to also go ahead of the Eagles - leaving wiggle room for one pick before they make their selection. Does that one team pick Carter? Or does he last until No. 10? The real question for me is whether Roseman likes Carter so much that he'd be willing to surrender draft capital to move up and make sure he gets his guy.
I also think that the Eagles would be willing to trade down if Carter does indeed go off the board before their pick. Sliding to No. 16 so the Commanders can leap-frog the Titans and pick Will Levis, acquiring future picks, and still getting a top-half-of-the-first-round talent? Fine by me.
In any case, this is going to be a truly fascinating draft for so many reasons. Buckle up.