Originally, the Las Vegas Raiders didn’t seem all that interested in selecting Georgia’s Jalen Carter in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, as the NFL Draft draws closer, the Raiders have now had a change of heart when it comes to Carter.
Las Vegas is hosting Carter for a visit on Wednesday, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The fact that Carter is even visting strongly contradicts earlier reports of the Raiders taking him off their draft board.
Carter is considered to be one of, if not the best defensive player in the 2023 class. However, his recent criminal charges of racing and reckless driving have teams souring on him a bit. The Raiders appeared to be one of those teams. However, they’ll now decide to instead get a closer look at the defensive line prospect.
Holding the No. 7 overall pick, the Raiders need to land an immediate difference maker. Now past the disastrous Mike Mayock-Jon Gruden regime, Josh McDaniels and company can now start building out their team through the draft. That draft building process could start with Carter.
Jalen Carter appeared in 35 games over his three years with Georgia. He racked up 83 tackles, 18.5 for a loss and six sacks. Carter won two National Championships with the Bulldogs and was named both an All-American and First-Team All-SEC in 2022.
The Raiders could use some serious help defensively. Las Vegas ranked 28th in total defense, allowing 365.6 yards per game. A player like Carter could really help the Raiders jump start that defense. While there will still be some red flags around him, Las Vegas now seems at least open to the idea of drafting Carter.
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