The Jets, with the 18th pick in the fourth round, selected the 120th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft that they received as part of the deal they executed with New England earlier in the round, tackle Carter Warren from the University of Pittsburgh.
It is a dream come true for several reasons. First and foremost, Warren is “from the neighborhood” not far from the Florham Park team’s facility in Gates, NJ. He grew up in Paterson and was a first team All State tackle at Passaic Tech.
“I’m so excited,” Warren told Gates reporters early in the afternoon. “It’s great, watching the Jets. I’m about 20 minutes away from the facility, I played at MetLife Stadium growing up. So it’s a great experience to have that opportunity.”
Then there’s his chance to finally use his physical skills as a pro after spending six seasons at Pete. The 6-6, 331-pound left tackle who redshirted in 2017 and scouted teams without seeing game action that year and in ’18.
“I worked on my tail to get to where I am now,” he said. “My third year came up and I finally became a rookie.”
Warren is a big, “intangible” guy, with one of those traits being perseverance through injury and rehabilitation. He suffered a mensicus injury that ended his first season with the Panthers after four games and also prevented him from playing in the East-West Shrine and participating in the NFL Combine and the March 29th Pro.
But he put a lot of himself into the video, which showed off plenty of pass-blocking skills using his long hands and arms. And as far as those intangibles are concerned, he’s also been a team leader as a senior and an impressive presence in the locker room, he’s worked hard on his college education (Bachelor’s in Justice and is already pursuing a second major in communication), and he comes from an extended sports family. (Two cousins played college ball, one at Rutgers, one at Virginia.)
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