What do you get from a supposedly best in class talent with red flags in college?
The Hall of Fame if Randy Moss and Warren Sapp are any examples. Even Laremy Tunsil is on his way towards a Hall of Fame career after having experienced a fall due to red flags on draft day.
The things that need to be addressed are:
- Does Carter have top of the draft talent?
- Remember that sacks are not the end all be all in how defenders are viewed.
- It seems that national 'scouts' think that he is amazing. How do teams view him?
- Are his red flags things that can be lived with or will go away as he matures?
- He seems to have a lead foot when in a car.
- Is that something that will eventually go away or that can be lived with?
- I recall that the Bears lived with someone's abandoned Lamborghini.
- Notice that this red flag, though attached to two deaths, is not a red flag like murder, abuse (child, women or animal), gambling or selling drugs, which have all occurred to NFL players with some of them continuing their careers.
- He might have football character issues, which could affect his career on the field.
- Somewhat odd because he has gotten nothing but support from his teammates.
- Are the Bears willing to take a chance on this supposed talent when the football gods gave them a chance at getting him to fall into their laps on draft day after they traded down to 9?
- The above players mentioned in my 2nd paragraph all had Hall of Fame (or potential HOF) careers because they all fell into a team's lap and that team's GM had the balls to pull the trigger.
- There are people who want to pass on Carter and draft a safe pick like Skoronski because "his floor is an all-pro guard".
- They are lying. His floor is a bust, just like any other 1st round pick.
- What they are willing to risk is a solid interior lineman (with a slight chance of him surviving at the tackle position, slighter than him busting completely) instead of Carter who has a slight chance of becoming a great 3 Tech, a great chance of becoming a good 3 tech and a slight chance of him busting.
- Sorry, but no one should be drafted at 9, not named Quenton Nelson, to play guard.
All it takes is for one team to fall in love with Carter and take a chance on him for his slide to end. How much is it worth to take a chance on greatness, bypassing taking a chance on solid, especially at their biggest need, as for the Bears, it would be?
Do I have all the answers above?
No, but supposedly many of those answers have been answered in a positive sense for many teams. Which means Carter will be gone by #9.