Jan 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) against the Green Bay Packers in an NFC wild card game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline
Looking at the Eagles' defense, there's plenty of young talent and high-ceiling players. However, Jalen Carter stands above the rest as the player with the most potential. He's a physically dominant player who has made an impact from his first snap with the Eagles.
He might not always have a direct effect on games because of how much he's double-teamed, but his presence allows for the rest of the defense to prosper. If teams decide to leave him one-on-one, they're running a huge risk.
Carter is still just 24. He likely isn't close to his peak, as pointed out by Vic Fangio earlier this summer. Carter is going to wreak havoc on offensive lines for the foreseeable future. It's why he found himself on Ben Arthur of FOX Sports' future half decade team, which aims to predict who the best players will be from 2026-2029 at each position. Carter's theoretical partner next to him was the New York Jets' Quinnen Williams:
"Carter’s dominance in the Eagles’ path to a Super Bowl LIX feels like a tell of what’s to come for the former No. 9 overall pick. The rising star was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro honoree last season."
Carter was an obvious choice for this team. He was a Second-Team All-Pro selection last season, in just his second season in the league. This week, he was ranked as the third-best defensive tackle in a poll conducted by ESPN that talked to executives, coaches and scouts. One of them said Carter has "Hall of Fame-type ability and instincts."
That's not something that's very surprising to Eagles fans, who've had an up-close look at Carter's dominance the last two seasons. He came up big when the Eagles needed him most in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams. With Matthew Stafford leading a potential go-ahead drive in the final two minutes of the NFC Divisional Round matchup, Carter sacked the quarterback on third-and-two in the red zone. Carter then pressured Stafford on fourth down, which forced an incompletion. He completely changed the trajectory of the game in two snaps. That's how good he can be:
Jalen Carter sacking Matthew Stafford to help the #Eagles defeat the #Rams #DawgOnDawg #DawgsInTheNFL #RamsvsEagles #NFL #DGD #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/0QTy62fiyC
There were question marks about Carter's maturity coming out of Georgia. Some considered him the best player in the draft, but he dropped to No. 9, where the Eagles traded up with the Chicago Bears before selecting him. They haven't regretted that decision one bit, with Carter becoming a dominant force.
There are other Eagles players who have an argument to be listed alongside Carter. Cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean shined on the biggest stage last season together and completely transformed the Eagles' secondary, which collapsed at the end of the previous season.
Mitchell, 23, and DeJean, 22, aren't going anywhere, and they have plenty of time to further prove their worth. The duo likely was left off the team because there needs to be a larger sample size. Other than Brock Bowers — who arguably had the best season for a rookie tight end ever — no players who are entering their second season were listed.
Patrick Surtain II and Derek Stingley Jr. were chosen ahead of Mitchell on the outside, while Trent McDuffie earned a spot instead of DeJean at slot corner.
On the other side of the ball, there aren't any glaring snubs. Players like A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley are at the top of their games, but both are in their late 20's. Wide receivers and running backs often have a sharp drop-off when they turn 30, meaning Brown and Barkley might only have a few years at the top of their game, which was probably taken into account.
Cam Jurgens probably has a bigger argument than Brown for something like this. Jurgens is only 25, but he was always going to have a tough time being selected ahead of First Team All-Pro selection Creed Humphrey.
In the end, Carter was the lone Eagles representative in this exercise. If he wasn't picked, it would've raised some eyebrows, but nobody should be up in arms based on who was selected.
