Howie Roseman defends the Eagles’ Jalen Carter draft pick, and the only fair response is to wait and see

When the NFL draft process started this offseason, Howie Roseman didn’t think the Eagles had a shot at landing Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter with their first pick in the first round.

“No, not at [No.] 10. Didn’t think that,” the general manager said. “But obviously, [I’ve] been around this a long time and things happen.”

While it’s unclear when the draft process actually began for Roseman — Super Bowl LVII likely delayed his full involvement in preparations — some terrible thing did happen a month earlier that would make it possible for the Eagles to trade up just one spot and select arguably the best prospect in this year’s class on Thursday night.

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On the early morning of Jan. 15, Georgia offensive lineman Devin Alex Willock and staff member Chandler Louise LeCroy were killed in a car crash after street racing against Carter in East Athens, police said. The incident occurred just five days after the Bulldogs won their second consecutive national championship.

Carter was subsequently charged with reckless driving and racing. He pleaded no contest and entered into a deal with prosecutors that included 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine, 80 hours of community service, and completion of a driving course.

Several teams reportedly erased the All-American from their draft boards, and others red-flagged his evaluation. Still, it was believed that three teams slotted in the first six picks were in play after they had done their own homework on Carter’s involvement in the crash and other unrelated concerns about his character.

The Eagles will always conduct their due diligence, but here was an elite prospect at a priority position who could fall within striking distance for the Super Bowl runners-up.

They owed it to themselves to drop significant resources into a full examination of Carter, considering the draft and financial investment. Was he a risk from a character standpoint? Or was he simply an immature and irresponsible young man who made several bad decisions that had dire consequences?

“We spent a lot of time investigating the incident around it,” Roseman said. “We talked to Jalen about a variety of things. We’re not going to get into what we talk to our players about. That’s not fair. … But at the end of the day, nobody’s hiding from the fact that a tragic event happened.”

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Carter wasn’t asked about the incident, per se, during a Zoom interview with Philadelphia-area reporters following his selection. But he was asked how much the Eagles addressed the events of that early morning during their predraft conversations.

“They really didn’t ask much about the accident that happened,” he said. “It was pretty much getting to know me and the love of the game that I have for football, just getting to know my personality and stuff like that.”

The Eagles, of course, went over the car crash with Carter, as Roseman intimated. But they also had chief security officer Dom DiSandro delve deep into his background, interview many who have known the player from Apopka, Fla., and probe his various transgressions, team sources said.

DiSandro, ultimately, will bear much of the responsibility for keeping Carter in line once he officially becomes an Eagle. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie wasn’t going to sign off on a first-rounder with a checkered past without his green light. But it’s still a gamble.

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And Carter’s every move will be under a microscope. Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni took exception to the characterization from a reporter that the 22-year-old didn’t seem accountable when talking about the January incident during his Zoom.

“I don’t think that’s fair,” Roseman said. “You want him to talk about an active investigation at that time? At the end of the day, he just got drafted and you’re putting him on the spot.”

While Carter’s plea has seemingly closed the case on the criminal investigation, it’s possible that he could face possible civil lawsuits from the families of the deceased. Which may explain why Carter didn’t have much to say about the car crash.

But, as Roseman pointed out, it also had to be a traumatic experience, whether he was negligent or not. And the Eagles likely understand that the incident can’t just be brushed under the rug, if there is ongoing litigation or if there is a mental component for Carter.

“We understand that all these players — they need to be developed,” Roseman said. “They’re coming into the league at a very young age. They’re not finished products. I think all of us, when we’re 21 or 22, hopefully, have grown a lot from that time.

“And you just really want to get to know the person and what’s in their heart. And I think when we got to know Jalen, we just felt like here’s a kid that does love football.”

» READ MORE: Jalen Carter is a great prospect who made a terrible mistake. The Eagles had better be right about his character.

The football part is often the easiest part, though, and likely for the 6-foot-3, 314-pound Carter. And make no mistake, if he were a lesser talent, Roseman wouldn’t have been put on the defensive because the Eagles wouldn’t have expended a first-round pick, plus a 2024 fourth-rounder in the trade with the Bears, on him.

But it’s the business of the NFL and the Eagles have done remarkably well in recent years of avoiding public off-field incidents. Their support staff, starting with DiSandro, deserve much of the credit.

Roseman has also cultivated a culture with exemplary leaders from Sirianni and his staff to veteran players like Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, and Lane Johnson, who have helped integrate various personalities into the locker room.

Graham and Cox will often be charged for showing Carter the “Eagle way.” He’ll also have former Georgia teammates Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean, who were drafted last year, and outside linebacker Nolan Smith, who was chosen just 21 picks after he was taken in the first round, to at least make him feel comfortable initially.

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But Carter is, ultimately, responsible for himself. Questions about his work ethic that existed before the accident were raised again when he performed poorly during his pro day workout in March.

“I felt conditioned but I guess I wasn’t, and that was just me,” he said. “I should have conditioned a little bit more or a lot more.”

He didn’t offer any excuses, but Roseman put the timing of the workout into context.

“I think the event and the issues surrounding it, they derailed him this spring,” the GM said. “The first thing he said to us was, ‘You tell me what to do.’ I think he’s a proud guy and he wants to show people what kind of player he is and what kind of person he is.

“But he’s got to do that with his actions.”

At this point, all the Eagles or anyone else can do is wait and see.