The NFL Draft sits just over a week away, and plenty of questions remain among some of the top prospects in this year’s class. One of the biggest surrounds Georgia star defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who will await his fate as a high-end prospect with a recent incident that could keep him out of the top spots in the draft. HBO sits down with Carter’s agent Drew Rosenhaus, one of the top agents in sports with 35 years in the business under his belt.
In the early morning of January 15th, Carter was involved in a street race with Georgia staff member Louise LeCroy and teammate Devin Alex Willock. LeCroy was driving drunk at over twice the legal limit with Willock in the car, leading to a fatal car accident that resulted in the deaths of both LeCroy and Willock. Carter remained unscathed in his separate vehicle and was charged with reckless driving and street racing, pleading no contest to both. He turned himself in on March 1 and was released on a $16,000 bond that day.
Carter admits that he realizes the impact of the incident. He told HBO’s Jon Frankel, “I feel like it’s gonna matter a little bit. ‘Cause, you know, NFL teams look deep into your life. But it coulda been somethin’ I did back in elementary. You know, I’m pretty sure they’d know. So you know, this comin’ out at the time it did come out, I’m pretty sure is gonna affect a little bit.”
Rosenhaus is confident that Carter will be selected within the first ten picks of this year’s NFL Draft. He has made it clear he will not allow Carter to visit with teams outside of the top ten, seeing it as an opportunity to show the public that Carter needs to maintain his status as a blue-chip prospect.
Frankel kept it simple when he asked what happens if Rosenhaus is wrong.
“I won’t be. I won’t be.”
