After rumors circulated that the Raiders had taken former Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter off their draft board, head coach Josh McDaniels seems to have rebutted the report.
Speculation started Thursday when The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reported that the organization no longer had interest in the 6-foot-3 prospect because of his ties with the tragic car accident that killed his teammate Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy.
“Just spoke to Josh McDaniels and he reiterated what he told reporters about Jalen Carter on Monday,” Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweeted.
“Contrary to a recent report, the @Raiders are doing their due diligence on Carter, who remains on their draft board,” Bonsignore tweeted. “Carter will meet with Raiders as one of their 30 visits in April.”
Carter turned himself in earlier this month after there was a warrant out for his arrest and was charged with reckless driving and racing stemming from the Jan. 15 incident.
Carter made bond and was released 16 minutes after being booked.
The charges claimed Carter was driving his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk “in a manner consistent with racing” in competition with the vehicle that Willock and Chandler were in.
Carter entered a plea deal with prosecutors and was given 12 months of probation, a fine of $1,000 and 80 hours of community service along with a mandated defensive driving course.
Carter’s draft stock has unsurprisingly taken a hit since the charges were released earlier this month.
His underwhelming performance at Georgia’s Pro Day did not help him either.
Recently, projections of what pick he will be and what team will select him have been all over the place.
The Raiders hold the No. 7 pick in the draft and might have the opportunity to get Carter as the possibility of him being available seems more likely.
The two teams ahead of the Raiders — The Seahawks and Lions — are teams that would make sense picking Carter as they both could use an elite run-stopper.
Along with much else about the 2023 Draft, where Carter will end up is not very clear-cut.
