Jalen Carter oozes potential ... can he reach it?

Rookies in any sport are always fun to follow because before they play their first professional game the potential career outcomes for them are boundless. They are a blank canvas upon which you can paint any picture. Will they impress early but go on to have an unmemorable career (which is called “going Mamula Mode”), will they be a guy who, when brought up in conversation a few years after they retire, you’ll remember fondly by saying “ohhhh yeah, I liked that guy,” or will they be on a bullet train towards the Hall of Fame?

This year’s NFL rookies have mostly only played one preseason game, so there isn’t any great sense in making sweeping proclamations about any of their careers (except…