You could see it all over Jalen Carter’s face.

Rocking a lavender suit with a purple dress shirt, Carter celebrated a moment that probably felt like it would never come amidst his eventful pre-draft process.

His NFL Combine experience was torpedoed because of his arrest after being accused of leaving the scene of an accident that killed former Georgia teammate Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy. At his pro day, Carter showed up 9 pounds heavier and he couldn’t finish the position drills after he was cramping and breathing heavily.

There was little doubt entering Thursday that Carter, who was considered a potential No. 1 overall pick heading into the Combine, lost some money in the past few months. The question was how much and who would end Carter’s tumultuous pre-draft process?

Well, we got an answer to that Thursday night. And as it turned out, it couldn’t have worked out better.

The Eagles pulled the trigger on a trade with the Chicago Bears to move up a spot and take Carter at No. 9 overall. He didn’t fall out of the top 10, which aligned with agent Drew Rosenhaus’ decision to not meet with teams with picks outside of that range.

Oh, and Carter is back with his Dawgs.

A reunion with Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean? Yes, please. The cherry on top was seeing the Eagles continue their “Georgia defensive players or bust” mantra a couple hours later by taking yet another Dawg, Nolan Smith.

All of it looked like it was hitting Carter as he left his family, with tears in his eyes, before he put on his Eagles hat for the first time. He’s going to an organization with stability. He’s reuniting with the big brothers he had at Georgia, where he was part of arguably the best defense of the 21st century. He’ll get to line up opposite of guys like Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, who will help keep the uber-talented rookie on the right path.

If there was an ideal landing spot for Carter, it was Philadelphia, AKA the defending NFC champs who look like a model of stability. And yes, the pre-Draft issues might’ve cost Carter a few million dollars. But now, it’s all on Carter.

“It’s time to work,” Carter said on the ESPN broadcast. “The Eagles got the best player in the draft, and I’m fixing to show it.”

Good. Would love to see it.

At his best, which Carter was when he was healthy in the latter half of 2022, Carter is every bit capable of living up to that lofty promise. Finding a game-wrecking defensive tackle who can do the things Carter can do is next to impossible. At the same time, if it were that simple, 8 teams wouldn’t have passed on him (it was actually 7 because the Texans traded up to get an additional top-3 pick).

Todd McShay caused a stir among Georgia fans when he mentioned early in the pre-draft process that there were “character concerns.” On Thursday, McShay weighed in on Carter’s selection.

“I hope this is a wake-up call for Jalen because he can be as great as he wants to be,” McShay said. “He’s got to learn to be a self-starter, he’s gotta learn to accept better coaching more frequently and openly. It would be an unbelievable waste of his talent if he didn’t turn out to be one of the best to do it at defensive tackle.”

Say what you want about McShay’s criticism of Carter prior to Thursday night. Is anything he said there untrue?

Carter is going to get an opportunity to show he can be a franchise guy, and not someone who provides reminders of those red flags. There’s a Laremy Tunsil path that Carter can follow. It’s Tunsil who now owns the richest contract ever for an offensive lineman. Perhaps in time, we’ll say the same thing about Carter on the other side of the ball.

The beauty for Carter? It’s all on him now.

He’s not a quarterback who’ll need the right weapons, the right protection and the right coaching staff around him. If Carter is indeed a self-starter with the Eagles, mercy. He could live up to the comp he’s been receiving since before he arrived at Georgia. That is, fellow Apopka High School legend Warren Sapp. In 1995, Sapp saw his draft stock slide because of off-field issues. Ultimately, though, Sapp overcame that en route to Canton.

Carter has a long road to go before anybody is talking about the Hall of Fame. Thursday night wasn’t about that. It was about starting fresh. No longer will he have to be grilled by organizations trying to figure out who is and if he’s worth betting on. It was only going to take 1. Fitting, it is, that the Eagles were that 1.

Maybe Carter will be, as McShay said “the best player in the Draft on tape.” Or perhaps the skepticism will be confirmed and he’ll never maximize that potential. Time will tell.

All Carter could’ve hoped for on Thursday night was a chance. He’ll have as good of one as he could’ve asked for.