Carter and Anderson are not as good as prospects as some are making them out to be

So if you spend any time on here you know the discussion that'll be dominating the fanbase until late April is what to do with that second pick. There's really just the 4 names that seem to be options at that point and that's obviously Stroud, Young, Anderson, and Carter. Most people want a QB but there's a vocal minority that strongly disagrees with that.

A lot of the discussion around who to go with seems to be framed around the assumption that the QB prospects are these super high risk guys while the two defensive prospects are viewed as these generational/elite prospects that in essence are the safe picks. I don't see that as being the case.

Carter and Anderson to me are opposites in a way. Carter is a guy with all the athleticism and physical traits you could want in a guy but lacks the production you would hope for from a top 2 pick. There are also questions about his intangibles. Anderson on the other hand has all the production you could hope for but just isn't a special athlete.

Starting with Carter. As I mentioned physically he has everything you could want, he's massive, strong, and also very quick. My concerns around Carter revolve around the intangibles. Carter lacks the constant motor common in top tier defensive linemen, he also was used as a rotational player most of the 2022 season and despite that still struggle with conditioning. In many games (Oregon and OSU are the glaring ones IMO) you can see him taking plays off or having trouble getting into the play because of how gassed he is. NFL teams will have a better idea than me of course as they'll get to talk to him and his coaches but to me that points to a lack of work ethic. Especially considering he was apparently called out by his coaches pre 2022 season for his conditioning issues and it seems like nothing changed despite that. Carter is a bit raw in his technique but unlike work ethic that's coachable. Personally if those work ethic reports are corroborated by his coaches and you add on the lack of production and injury history I'm not touching Carter at 2.

Anderson on the other hand does not have that issue. Watching the tape really shows a guy who is in almost every down and never gives up on a play. Also haven't heard any reports on issues with work ethic from him and his production, especially in 2021, speaks for itself. Anderson's issues are mostly trait issues. On the plus side he's strong for his size and he's got good arm length keeping tackles from getting into his chest. The negative is really that he just has very average physical traits. He's strong for his size but not especially strong, he has average quickness and bend on the outside, and he's undersized. In college he can win with his average traits because he's very technically sound, has great instincts, and has an excellent motor. But there are concerns that when he steps up to the NFL that won't fly. The tackles he faces will have excellent traits and will be technically sound. With Anderson lacking outstanding athleticism I think he's a high floor low ceiling player who will struggle to make the impact you hope for from a #2 pick.

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Anyways point is I think the discussions on here seem to operate with the assumption that Carter/Anderson are these elite prospects who will almost certainly be excellent players and I think that's a generous assumption that should be challenged. I will say however I'd take Anderson over Carter 100%