Jalen Carter Ranked Third in 2025 NFL Interior Defensive Line Survey

Jalen Carter No. 3 ranking 2025 ESPN NFL

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter has been ranked the No. 3 interior defensive lineman in the NFL, according to ESPN’s annual positional survey released on July 8, 2025. The rankings were compiled by reporter Jeremy Fowler and are based on votes from NFL executives, coaches, and scouts. Carter was ranked behind New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.

Carter was selected by the Eagles with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Georgia, where he was part of the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff National Championship teams in 2021 and 2022. In his second NFL season, Carter earned second-team All-Pro honors and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He was also part of the Eagles team that won Super Bowl LIX.

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During the 2024 NFL season, Carter recorded 4.5 sacks and posted a pass rush win rate of 8.8 percent. He played nearly 800 snaps and batted down six passes, which ranked second among the top 10 interior defensive linemen in ESPN’s list. According to Fowler, Carter is viewed by league evaluators as a highly disruptive player. Several executives ranked Carter as high as No. 1, and no lower than No. 4. One veteran NFL coach described Carter as a “young player with elite tools, elite instincts and game-changing play ability.” A separate evaluator said that Carter’s limited experience is the only factor keeping him out of the top two positions.

Dexter Lawrence, ranked No. 1 in the same ESPN survey, was selected by the Giants with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was a member of Clemson’s national championship teams in 2016 and 2018. Lawrence is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. Since drafting Lawrence, the Giants have compiled a 32–67–1 record, with one winning season and one playoff appearance in 2020. In the 2024 season, Lawrence missed five games—his most in a single season—and the Giants finished with a 3–14 record. In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Giants selected Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall pick.

According to MLFootball on X (formerly Twitter), Carter is projected to receive a four-year, $168 million contract extension as early as the 2026 offseason. In comparison, Lawrence signed a four-year, $87.5 million contract extension with the Giants in May 2023, averaging $22.5 million per year.

In sports betting markets, Carter is currently listed at +2,000 to +2,200 to win the 2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, according to online sportsbooks including DraftKings and PointsBet. He ranks behind Myles Garrett (+650 to +750), Aidan Hutchinson (+750), and Micah Parsons (+850). Carter’s MVP odds are listed at +40,000 on DraftKings. These odds have not changed.

During the 2024 season, sportsbooks, including Action Network, listed prop bets for Carter to record over 0.5 sacks in specific games, with odds ranging from –110 to +150. Outcomes in those bets varied. In 2023, Carter was the betting favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year at –110 on BetMGM and accounted for 34.1 percent of the total handle for that market.

Following the 2024 season, Carter’s role on the Eagles’ defensive line is expected to expand due to roster changes. Defensive tackle Milton Williams left the team in free agency and signed with the New England Patriots. His new contract averages $26 million annually. Williams had previously been identified by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio as a potential option to receive snaps at nose tackle.

Jordan Davis, who weighs 336 pounds, is entering his fourth NFL season and is expected to take on more snaps. Davis played college football with Carter at Georgia, and according to the Eagles, he improved his conditioning in late 2024 by using a Peloton. Defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, now entering his third season, played 490 snaps through the 2024 postseason and recorded a high pass-rush win rate. Ojomo and Davis are expected to split the workload previously held by Williams.

Rookie Ty Robinson was selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of the University of Nebraska – he is expected to be the roster replacement for Williams. Other players in the competition for interior line snaps include third-year defensive lineman Thomas Booker, Byron Young, who claimed off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders at the 2024 roster cutdown, and second-year player Gabe Hall. Hall spent his rookie season on the practice squad and is listed as 6 feet 6 inches tall. Booker has been described as a high football IQ player and has the versatility to play backup nose tackle. According to the Eagles, Robinson is expected to join the rotation, but Booker may compete to retain a spot.

Clint Hurtt is the defensive line coach for the Eagles. Hurtt previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks and played defensive tackle at the University of Miami. In his first season with the Eagles in 2024, Hurtt oversaw improved performances from Carter, Davis, Ojomo, and Williams.

The Eagles’ default defensive alignment is a five-man front. The projected depth chart lists Jalen Carter and Thomas Booker at the 4i-technique; Jordan Davis and Byron Young at nose tackle; and Moro Ojomo, Ty Robinson, and Gabe Hall at the opposite 4i-technique.

According to ESPN’s July 8, 2025, rankings, the top 10 interior defensive linemen in the NFL are: