Although the Philadelphia Eagles’ season came to an abrupt end, rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter stood out on a patchy defense.
Consequently, he was named a finalist for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award. However, he was not successful when Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was announced as the winner on Thursday at NFL Honors.
In a field of five competitors, Anderson prevailed against Carter, rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and defensive tackle Kobie Turner of the Los Angeles Rams.
Carter participated in 16 games during the regular season and finished with 33 total tackles, 6 sacks, 9 quarterback hits, 8 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery, which he recovered in Week 14 and returned 42 yards for a touchdown for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Dallas Cowboys.
Carter’s brilliance, which made him the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, combined with some unsettling off-field troubles made him the talk of the town.
Regardless, the Eagles took a chance on the Georgia product and traded up one spot with the Chicago Bears from No. 10 to No. 9 to select Carter after he nearly fell out of the top 10.
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Jalen Carter with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.