The 2023 NFL Draft is just 10 sleeps away, and you can expect mock drafts to change in a big way over these final days. There are always prospects that go higher than anticipated, and others that fall further than anticipated. One player many thought would fall due to off-field issues may not actually fall far at all, and that's star defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
Carter was charged with reckless driving and racing misdemeanors after a fatal single-car accident on Jan. 15, which killed Georgia football player Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy. Carter was in a different vehicle. He pled no contest as part of a plea deal, per The Athletic, and received 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine and was ordered to perform 80 hours of community service and complete a driving course.
Carter also struggled at his pro day, but his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has put on quite the confident front -- declining all visit requests that came from teams outside of the top 10. He may be right, as Carter is one of the top talents in this class. In fact, Peter King of NBC Sports says there's a rumor the Pittsburgh Steelers could trade with the Chicago Bears to move up from No. 17 overall to No. 9 overall to grab Carter. King says that working under head coach Mike Tomlin would be the perfect fit for Carter.
Bolstering the defensive line is probably not the Steelers' top need in the 2023 draft, but Carter would be a pretty incredible addition for this defense. The Unanimous All-American is a two-time CFP National Champion, and led Georgia with 66 pressures and 15.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons.
Carter is one of 17 prospects that will be in attendance for the draft in Kansas City. This surprised some, but Rosenhaus told King, "We definitely would have skipped it if I thought there was the potential of him falling out of the top 10. I'm not concerned in the slightest about that."