The Philadelphia Eagles' decision to take Jalen Carter is fascinating, to say the least. The Georgia Bulldogs star was arguably top-five pick early during the draft process. However, character and conditioning concerns caused him to slide down to the 9th pick, where Philly happily took him. How does Nick Sirianni feel about Carter's supposed conditioning issues during their mini-camp? So far, it's looking good (but not perfect) in the Eagles' coach's eyes, per NFL.com.
Nick Sirianni: “Nobody out there (among Eagles rookies) is in the shape that they need to be in, but we are working in that direction. [Carter] looks good. He looked good out there today, and so but like I said, today wasn't about finding out who was ready conditioning-wise because to be quite frank, none of them are.”
Carter was considered at one point to be a potential top overall pick, even over Bryce Young. The Georgia edge rusher impressed during the season with his elite pass rushing. However, a terrible showing during his Pro Day called his conditioning in question. His arrest due to a street racing crash made him slide further down draft boards.
Those questions about Jalen Carter's conditioning aren't concerning to the Eagles, it seems. Sirianni and the coaching staff is confident that they can get the Georgia star in optimal shape heading into his rookie year.
“We will get him to what he's supposed to play at,” Sirianni said, “and I have no doubt in my mind he'll do whatever he needs to do to be the player he needs to be.”
The NFL is a completely different beast than the college level. If Carter (or literally any other rookie, for that matter) wants to be successful, they need to pay attention to every detail, including their shape. The Eagles are counting on the edge rusher to commit fully to taking care of his body in the offseason.
Follow Us
Subscribe