Through all the ups and downs of Jalen Carter’s draft cycle, his talent is still undeniable. Even after an offseason arrest for racing and reckless driving and sub-standard Pro Day performance, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Carter as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Carter was a First Team All-American in his time at Georgia and one of the most disruptive players in the country during his time as a Bulldog.

“The reality is Carter’s stock hasn’t dropped in the eyes of NFL teams, and so I’m not dropping him in my rankings,” Kiper Jr. said. “On the field, he is a fantastic prospect. I moved him to No. 1 in my December Big Board update, and he finished the season playing the best ball of his career. He had 12 quarterback pressures in his final three games for the back-to-back national champs. He was fantastic after he returned in late October from missing two games due to a knee issue.”

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While Carter is seen as the top prospect, it seems very unlikely he will go first in the draft. The Carolina Panthers are likely to take a quarterback after trading up to get the No. 1 pick in the draft. Carter has only visited with top-10 teams, with the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions as the most likely landing spots.

Kiper revealed his top 150 prospects for this draft cycle. He had outside linebacker Nolan Smith at No. 12, offensive tackle Broderick Jones at No. 15, tight end Darnell Washington at No. 38, Kelee Ringo at No. 63 and safety Chris Smith at No. 147.

Related: Jalen Carter doesn’t need the Heisman Trophy to validate his greatness: ‘I’ve never seen anything like him’

As for his positional rankings, the NFL draft expert has Stetson Bennett as his No. 9 quarterback, Kenny McIntosh as the No. 14 running back, Kearis Jackson as the No. 55 wide receiver, Warren McClendon as the No. 15 offensive guard, Robert Beal as the No. 14 outside linebacker and Jack Podlesny as the No. 3 kicker.

Georgia had 15 players taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, a record for the seven-round draft process. While Georgia won’t have quite that many players taken in this year’s draft, there is still a realistic chance the Bulldogs hit double digits.

The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft is set for Thursday. Carter, Smith and Jones are all highly likely to be taken in the first 31 selections. Washington and Ringo have a chance of slipping into the first round. The second and third round will be held on Friday.

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