The Philadelphia Eagles made a massive bet on Georgia star Jalen Carter during the 2023 NFL Draft by selecting the 6-foot-3, 300-lb defensive tackle. The rookie has yet to play a single minute of NFL action but already, he’s leaving quite an impression on his teammates.
One man who has been completely blown away by Carter is none other than Eagles star Darius Slay. The cornerback had nothing but good things to say about his new teammate.
Eagles Star Darius Slay Left in Awe by Jalen Carter
Speaking on a recent episode of his Big Play Slay show, Slay shared his initial observations about Carter. Eagles fans will want to hear this:
“I know ya’ll heard the report about Jalen Carter, man, breaking the sled,” Slay said (h/t Matt Mullin of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “I’m talking about buddy is strong. I’m not going to compare him to who I want to compare him to, but I’ve been around a lot of great [defensive] tackles. I’ve been around [Ndamukong] Suh, Haloti Ngata, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave. I’ve been around a great group of guys who play defensive tackle, man, and I’m trying to tell you, Jalen Carter, this kid is just very, very dominant, man. He’s very physical, quicker than what you think, and stronger than how he looks.”
Those are some pretty big names — both literally and figuratively — and it’s an ultimate honor for Carter to be mentioned in the same breath as these other DTs. There’s obviously a bit of bias from Slay here, but at the same time, the way he’s hyping up his 22-year-old teammate just makes you want to buy in on the Jalen Carter hype train — if you haven’t already.
Slay took his praise a step further by literally comparing Carter to a rhinoceros:
“He looks like a baby rhino,” Slay said. “You ever seen a baby rhino and you just [think] he’s crazy, I’m talking about he’s pushing folks back. You can ask Lane Johnson. Lane Johnson said it himself, one of the best tackles in the game, said this guy is ready to play right now and is ready to take control of a game right now. He’s a game-changer.”
This is exactly the type of stuff Eagles supporters want to hear as they look to make another deep playoff run in 2023. After an amazing regular season campaign, Philly ultimately fell short in their quest for a Super Bowl title. They’re now hoping that Jalen Carter is the guy that takes them to new heights.
“Man, I’m glad he fell to us, because I’d hate for us to have to go against that kid, because that kid is very special,” Slay said. “He’s got a chance to be amazing, man, he’s got a great, great chance to be an amazing [player], and I’m looking forward to it because he is a dog. And I don’t mean the school he went to, I’m talking about literally a dog.”
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