Controversial prospect to pay Raiders a visit

If you opened the dictionary and looked up the definition of the “Raiders’ biggest draft need,” you might actually see a picture of Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter.

But he comes with some major red flags.

All of which makes his private visit with the Raiders on Thursday incredibly important.

The Raiders are hosting the Bulldogs’ dominating interior defensive lineman at their practice facility in Henderson as part of the “top 30” prospect visits each team is allowed ahead of the draft. And to say he has a chance to either ease or increase concerns is an understatement.

Carter is intriguing on a number of different levels, not the least of which is his immense talent and how he could be a perfect fit as a disruptive interior defender alongside edge rushers Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones.

The Raiders have lacked that element on their defense for more than a decade, and there is an argument to be made that there isn’t a player in this draft class capable of altering the trajectory of the Raiders’ defense as much as Carter.

But for all of his upside, there is a definite disconcerting element to Carter that simply can’t be ignored. That is why his visit with the Raiders, the bulk of which will unfold in Henderson on Thursday, is expected to be an intense, frank, day-long meeting intended to dig as deeply as possible into Carter the person just as much as the player.

All the result of the baggage Carter carries into his NFL career after being charged last month with reckless driving and racing in connection with a crash that killed a teammate and a recruiting staff member.

In the days and weeks since — which include Carter showing up to his Georgia pro day 10 pounds overweight and unable to get through drills — his draft stock has fallen. Where once he was being talked about as a top-five pick, he might actually fall to the Raiders at the seventh pick in the first round.

If so, the Raiders would face a difficult decision, especially given their recent history of off-field problems with high draft picks. That includes 2020 first-round pick Henry Ruggs, who was charged in 2021 with felony counts of DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm in connection with the death of Tina Tintor.

Carter was sentenced to one year of probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service after pleading no contest to his charges. He wasn’t deemed responsible for the crash that killed teammate Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy.

But his role in the incident and other issues have raised red flags, and he certainly didn’t help his cause when he was noticeably out of shape for his pro day.

Nevertheless, he would fill a glaring need. As a result, the Raiders are approaching Thursday’s visit with an open mind. And as Raiders coach Josh McDaniels explained last month at the NFL owners meetings, there is no rush to judgment until the club gets a chance to meet face-to-face with Carter and try to get a better understanding of who he is and what, if any, risk he poses if they were to utilize their first-round pick on the two-time national champion.

The Raiders will also consider the infrastructure they have in place and nurturing environment it could create for Carter. That includes Crosby, whose well-documented journey from alcohol addiction to sobriety and his willingness and openness to use his struggles to inspire others could serve as an example for Carter.

That said, the ball is in Carter’s court to convince the Raiders he is worth the gamble.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.