The media's free laundry service for NFL Draft evaluations

The reporting on Jalen Carter is already highlighting some of my biggest pet peeves with NFL draft coverage.

“A very unique personality – the guy’s gonna’ rub some people the wrong way, and he’s not gonna’ be the cleanest guy in your building.”

—  Anonymous NFL executive from an AFC team

This quote was provided – anonymously – by an executive of an NFL team who was talking about Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter.

It was published under the byline of a fairly prominent reporter covering the league, and while I’m linking to the story, I don’t want to focus on who wrote it because my complaint isn’t about his coverage in particular but reflects a much deeper more pervasive fault in the coverage of the draft in general. The appetite for information has caused reporters to lower the standards of sourcing — regularly concealing the source of information — and focusing on information that relates to the players, and nothing with regard to the teams.

The result is coverage that casts a large amount of shade on what amounts to a job applicant while diverting scrutiny from where it could – and I would argue should – be placed, which is on the criteria teams use to make their selections. The coverage of Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter is a dramatic example of this.

Pete Thamel @PeteThamel

ESPN update from Jalen Carter's pro day, where he was nine pounds heavier than at the NFL combine and "couldn't finish his position drills."

espn.comGeorgia DT Carter heavier, struggles at pro dayGeorgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, considered a potential top pick in the NFL draft, was nine pounds heavier than he was at the NFL combine about two weeks ago and couldn’t finish his position drills at Georgia’s pro day on Wednesday.

If you’re not familiar with him, he’s a defensive tackle from the two-time national champions that some people consider the best player in the draft. He also has a demonstrated habit of driving (dangerously) fast, which I previously wrote about. On Wednesday — at Georgia’s pro day — he was 9 pounds heavier than he was at the combine, and looked winded and was cramping during position drills, according to this report from ESPN.com. I firmly believe he’s going to be on the board and available when the Seahawks pick at No. 5 and over the next couple of months you’re going to hear a lot of coded language about him. Like that quote at the top of the story from Anonymous Football Man: “He’s not gonna’ be the cleanest guy in the building.”