Welcome to the second daily installment of the NFL Draft 1-through-32 series on DK Pittsburgh Sports, intended to introduce you, a prospect at a time, to the top 32 players in the class on a consensus basis, leading right up to the main event.
That, of course, will be April 27-29, in Kansas City, Mo., though all 32 teams, including the Steelers on the South Side, will operate from their local headquarters.
NO. 2: JALEN CARTER
Georgia defensive tackle
Carter is the No. 2-rated player on Pro Football Focus' Big Board. While he is as talented as they come among interior defensive line prospects, the earthquake that was his offseason might have pushed him out from being a sure-fire, top-five pick into someone picked later in the first round.
COLLEGE BACKGROUND
Carter was a first-team All-American as voted by four outlets, and for good reason. He finished his junior season with 32 total tackles, seven for loss, and three sacks while registering 31 quarterback hits and three pass breakups. For his career, Carter tallied 83 total tackles, 18.5 for loss, and six sacks.
The Apopka, Fla., native was a consensus five-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, checking in at No. 18 nationally, per 247Sports. He had 11 offers out of high school, 10 from Power Five schools including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, and Miami.
Out of high school, Carter measured at 6-foot-3, 310 pounds and was profiled as a lineman with a solid blend of finesse and power, and his athletic ability allowed for him to star on the basketball court and play out of position as a tight end up through his junior year.
His biggest knock was his technical skill, but three years of development at Georgia have him in position as a profiled-out NFL prospect.
NFL COMBINE, PRO DAY
Carter's offseason and NFL Draft preparation process were completely turned upside-down at the NFL Combine, when he had to leave the event March 1 after arrest warrants were issued from police in Athens, Ga., for racing and reckless driving.
The warrants stemmed from a Jan. 15 incident in which Georgia football player Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car crash.
He was booked for the two misdemeanors in Athens, Ga., and was released from police custody after posting a $4,000 bond. He returned to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, but did not participate in on-field drills.
Carter entered no-contest pleas March 16 and was sentenced to 12 months of probation, perform 80 hours of community service, complete a state-approved defensive driving course, and pay a $1,000 fine.
He measured at 6-foot-3, 314 pounds with a 33.5-inch arm length and a 10.25-inch hand width at the NFL Combine. He earned a prospect grade of 7.05, which labels him as a "Pro Bowl talent," and received an NFL Next Gen Stats grade of 87, tied for 10th among all prospects who tested in Indianapolis.
Carter's Pro Day, though, was disappointing by all standards. He showed up to the March 15 workout nine pounds heavier than his weight two weeks prior, at 323 pounds. He participated in position drills, and results coming from Athens say Carter was sluggish and slow to finish the end of his workout.
All 32 teams attended Georgia's Pro Day, including Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan from the Steelers.
MOCK DRAFT
The USA Today mock draft consensus tracker pins Carter at No. 8 overall to Atlanta, with an average draft slotting at 8.83. Out latest mock draft has Carter going to Seattle at No. 5 overall.
This is where all of the interviews and off-the-field work from NFL front offices come into play on a greater level. When the red flags came to the public eye of Carter's arrest and subsequently of his less-than-stellar Pro Day, he began to slip in mock drafts. Now that the case is resolved, though, Carter is back near the top of the mock draft world. From this point it's all about which team believes he is out of the woods with respect to the off-the-field troubles and has him cleared.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE STEELERS' STANDPOINT
If ... IF ... Carter is there at 17th overall, that would be very, very enticing to Tomlin, Khan, and Andy Weidl. There might be bigger needs on this team to address at 17, but a player of Carter's caliber would be awfully hard to pass up.
He likely will be in the "best player available" category should he slip that far.
COREY'S TAKE
It's not impossible that he slips that far in the draft, but after a definitive sentencing was handed down and Carter avoided jail time, he seems to be back near the top of the boards. On the field, his blend of strength and athleticism for his size is hard to find. He should be the first interior defensive lineman drafted solely based on his skillset, and had it not been for his off-the-field issues, he likely could have been the first defensive player overall taken.
Read our breakdown of our first 1-through-32 series prospect, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, HERE.
