The Philadelphia Eagles rolled the dice when they traded up to draft Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter. His talent has been obvious — arguably more so than any other prospect from the 2023 NFL Draft. But his involvement in a car crash that killed two people left teams worried that his off-field antics would jeopardize his ability to become a star at the NFL level.

Carter took action to ensure that he landed with the Eagles, who boasted a great team that featured college teammates Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. He called team executives, including general manager Howie Roseman, shortly ahead of the draft to assure them they would not regret selecting him, according to Tim McManus of ESPN.

The Eagles thought extremely highly of Carter on the field but the off-field issues continued to linger. McManus reports that Georgia coaches didn’t speak highly of the All-American defender partly because of his “practice habits and attitude.” Enamored with his talent, Roseman, head coach Nick Sirianni and owner Jeffrey Lurie still needed a little more convincing. McManus describes those calls from Carter as “final pieces to a puzzle the Eagles had spent months trying to put together.”

The Eagles not only traded up to land Carter but reunited him with two more former Bulldogs: Nolan Smith and Kelee Ringo. The team felt confident in its environment and that Carter is highly motivated to excel at football, leading to a draft pick that could go down as a huge steal.

So far, Jalen Carter has impressed Eagles coaches, players and fans with his special combination of size and talent. The gamble they took on draft night could pay off extremely handsomely as Carter embarks on his NFL journey.