There are a couple areas where Mazi Smith beats Jalen Carter, who was drafted much higher than Smith.
First, risk.
The biggest risk for Jalen Carter, in my opinion, is the video involving him in the crash. He has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor. However, more serious charges could come later. And quite honestly, they should and probably will.
"Although he’s charged with a misdemeanor. Now, once it gets over to the solicitor’s office or to the district attorney’s office, it can be upgraded to a felony,” attorney Patterson
told WSBTV. "And it is no doubt that if he was not a University of Georgia football player, he probably would be charged with felony vehicular homicide."
Depending on how hard media coverage presses the local solicitor's office, it's possible Carter may never even see the field. It's true. If he was not a University of Georgia football player, he would likely be charged with vehicular homicide. The only reason they've gotten away with it, is because the media hasn't pressed them on it, or fought too hard to make this a story. But it is a story that would be important to the public interest. And it has the potential to gain traction and wheels to travel. That was my number 1 reason for not taking Jalen Carter too seriously: I didn't think the Cowboys would do it, because hopefully they had been advised of the legal implications and what happened. The video looks bad. And the news press will determine his fate.
Second, and probably less important, is RAS. Mazi at 9.99 vs. Carter at around 9. Down the line, with coaching and experience, and getting even stronger, Smith still has potential to be someone like Poe while Carter likely still hasn't gotten over his maturity hump, much like our Sam Williams. In any case, the more I learn about Smith, the more I like his potential on our team. Kudos to the scouting team on this one. They brought me back from apathy to being a hardcore fan again these past few years. Loving the product they are putting out there. Even the homegrown ones. lol
