INDIANAPOLIS -- The NFL Combine always provides plenty of stories that cause a ruckus amongst those in attendance. It's more than expected as this is the second-largest event of the NFL offseason.
The first day of player availability did no less.
Top defensive line prospect Jalen Carter hasn't been tied at all to the Steelers in the any buzz around the NFL Draft because the Georgia product is expected to be long gone well before Pittsburgh is on the clock at 17th overall. Carter is ranked as the second overall prospect on Pro Football Focus' big board, calling him a "complete prospect," and as good of a defensive tackle coming out of college since they began evaluating college players.
However, less than an hour before Carter was set to address the media Wednesday morning at the NFL Combine -- all defensive tackles and linebackers spoke Wednesday -- news broke of two misdemeanor arrest warrants issued by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. Carter was charged with reckless driving and racing, which was tied to an accident that killed teammate Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy, a member of Georgia's recruiting staff.
Carter never addressed the media at the Combine, later announcing on social media his intention to return to Athens to answer the misdemeanor charges and "to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented."
In his statement, Carter said he expects to be "fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing."
According to Clarke County jail's online records, Carter was booked on both charges at 11:33 p.m., and subsequently released at 11:49 p.m. by posting a $4,000 bond.
There is no doubt this will impact Carter's draft stock. Sifting through the dirt of off-the-field issues is one of the more important tasks for teams during the NFL Combine. Even if interested teams aren't deterred too much from what happened, this is still something Carter will have to address for the upcoming several weeks until the draft, convincing teams he's still worth the investment of a high first-round selection.
Carter is already on the road back to recovering from the legal issues as he's back at the NFL Combine to complete his interviews, measurements and other activities, according to multiple reports.
This, however, won't stop the media from talking about how much this could impact Carter's draft stock. A new CBS mock draft now has Carter falling all the way to ... the Steelers at 17th overall, stating, "The Steelers stop the Carter fall and feel they have the right coaching structure and locker room to handle everything that will come with making this selection."
The knee-jerk reaction is to assume Carter's draft stock will plummet. However, NFL head coaches and GMs will do their due diligence with Carter. That's ultimately what will decide how much Carter's legal issues impact his future in the NFL.
MORE FROM THE COMBINE
• What's really interesting about the comments in CBS' new mock draft about Carter is other news that came out Wednesday.
The NFLPA announced Wednesday its team report cards, and the Steelers did not fare well whatsoever. Overall, the Steelers ranked 22nd of 32 teams, with the players' feedback focused on "a lack of resources and investment into the facility."
Broken down into different categories, the Steelers received the following grades:
NFLPA
The low grade for treatment of families came down to two issues. The Steelers are one of 11 teams that do not offer daycare on game day, and are one of 14 teams that do not offer a family room at the stadium.
Despite a 'C' grade for the weight room, the players feel there is "not enough space and it is understaffed." Regarding the training room, the Steelers ranked fifth-worst in the league in player feedback on whether the staff had enough certified athletic trainers and personal trainers. The negative feedback regarding the locker room ultimately came down to a lack of space and the need for renovation.
The underlying problem through all of this feedback is only 44% of players who responded feel Art Rooney II is willing to invest money into upgrading their facilities, which ranked him tied for 29th in this category.
Of course, this isn't Combine related, but the results of the NFLPA team report cards has caused a bit of a stir amongst media members here in Indianapolis.
• Pitt's Calijah Kancey is trending upward heading into the NFL Combine, and he will participate along with all of the other defensive linemen and linebackers in drills Thursday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium.
One thing that Kancey wants to do: "I'll surprise everyone with my 40."
When asked what he expects to do in the 40-yard dash, Kancey simply said, "Stay tuned."
Kancey confirmed Wednesday that he had not met with the Steelers yet. That, of course, could change throughout the course of the week.
• Antonio Brown is back in football ... kind of. The former Steeler announced on social media that a big announcement was coming. And, apparently, that announcement is he's joining the ownership group of the Arena Football League's Albany Empire.
At this point, anything Brown does causes conversation at the proverbial water cooler amongst reporters.
• In actual Combine stuff, defensive backs are addressing the media Thursday. All of the top cornerbacks in the draft, including Penn State's Joey Porter Jr., are included.
• A lot of players meet with a lot of teams during the NFL Combine, so it's not Earth-shattering news when the Steelers meet with a certain player. All defensive backs addressed the media Thursday, and they always field questions of which teams they have met or will meet with this week.
So far, defensive backs that said they formally met with the Steelers include Alabama's Brian Branch, Mississippi State's Emmanuel Forbes, Texas A&M's Jaylon Jones, Maryland's Deonte Banks and Georgia's Kelee Ringo. South Carolina's Cam Smith has a formal meeting scheduled for Thursday. Alabama's Eli Ricks said he informally met with Pittsburgh.