Raiders say they’re comfortable with evaluation of Jalen Carter

At this point in the NFL draft process, the Raiders have generally come up with answers to questions that might arise during Thursday’s first round.

On a macro sense, that includes how willing they are to trade up to get a player and the cost they are willing to pay.

On a micro level, that means having a firm position on whom they would be willing to select with the seventh pick.

This brings us to Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who fits what the Raiders need on defense but is the most polarizing player in the draft.

In terms of having a good handle on Carter, general manager Dave Ziegler said the club is “very comfortable with the work that we’ve done on him.”

But Carter’s off-field issues could create an insurmountable hurdle for the Raiders relative to selecting him.

The indirect role he played in the car accident that killed a Georgia teammate and a football staff member and his subsequent arrest hit eerily close to home for an organization still reeling from the Henry Ruggs situation two years ago. There also are questions about Carter’s work ethic and his reputation for sometimes taking plays off that might lead the Raiders to steer clear of him.

On the other hand, Carter at times was a dominant force at Georgia. It’s been more than a decade since the Raiders had a game-changer at his position, and purely from an optimistic point of view, a mature, reliable and responsible Carter would be the perfect fit with edge rusher Maxx Crosby.

One could make the argument that no one on the draft board has the potential to single-handedly alter the Raiders’ defensive dynamic more than Carter.

Hence, the open mind the Raiders took in evaluating Carter and not making any rash decisions on him.

“For me, it’s not, in terms of more complicated,” Ziegler said when asked if Carter’s evaluation was more difficult considering recent history, particularly that of Ruggs.

The Raiders brought Carter to Las Vegas for one of the 30 visits they are allowed with draft prospects and didn’t deviate from their ground rules for any player.

“We looked at Jalen like every other player that’s in the draft and doing our due diligence on all aspects of the player,” Ziegler said. “From football learning, from practice habits, from the personal side of things on the field and off the field, how they interact with people, how they treat people, their experience at the pro day and combine.”

Doing anything different would be a dereliction of duty.

“I don’t think we want to cheat the process with any prospect in that regard,” Ziegler said. “We want to hit those bases for each individual prospect.”

That isn’t to say there wasn’t more involved in the Carter process. His upside is incredibly vast. But the baggage he carries increases the possibility of him blowing up in the face of the team that drafts him. The Raiders can’t afford that scenario unfolding given the swings and misses they have taken under previous regimes.

“Of course on some prospects, it’s deeper, right?” Ziegler said. “There are just more things to look at and more things to consider based on their situation. And so, Jalen in that regard was similar to a lot of players in the draft.”

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