Darius Slay called Jalen Carter a “baby rhino” on his podcast last week and the Eagles seem to be running with the nickname:

Brandon Graham brought it up again, via Dave Zangaro at NBC Sports Philly:

It sounds like that Baby Rhino nickname might just stick. Because 14-year veteran Brandon Graham brought it up when asked about Carter on Sunday.

“I’m loving the name Baby Rhino,” Graham said, “because that boy is… He is a ram. And if you get it all the way in shape and be able to get it to go all the time, he’s definitely going to have people not wanting to see him every week.”

I’m not a huge fan of “Baby Rhino.” if we’re being honest. Baby rhinos are cute, cuddly, and clumsy. Those aren’t characteristics I want in my defensive tackle. Look at this rhino and tell me you see double digit sacks in its future:

That rhino doesn’t even get a second contract. Baby Rhino shows up to his pro day nine pounds heavier and doesn’t finish position drills:

If we’re going to squeeze all of the potential we can out of Jalen Carter, we need him to attach himself to a vicious beast. It’s a war in the trenches. Kill or be killed. We need something mean like “Baby Lion.” Or something dangerous like “Baby Hippo.” Or something deadly like “Baby Pufferfish.” Baby Pufferfish? Yes. Did you know a baby pufferfish has enough poison in it to kill 30 humans? Now you do. Remind me to never mess with a dude who goes by the nickname “Baby Pufferfish” because this is what they do:


The Baby Pufferfish gets comps to Aaron Donald from his teammates:

I’m a big fan of my running back room. I’m pretty sure the running back room. But if I just had to say anybody, I mean, Jalen Carter (laughs). I’ve never seen anything like that since playing against Aaron Donald. He’s got the intangibles for sure.

Aaron Donald ain’t no baby rhino:

Kinkead: I just wanna show a little more love to the Hippo. This is from CNTraveler.com:

Hippos may look like giant, bumbling things, but they are often considered Africa’s most dangerous mammal. They’re territorial, unpredictable, and armed with a mouthful of teeth sharp and strong enough to do lethal damage. If their territory is encroached—whether that be by a crocodile, another hippo, or boat full of tourists—they will aggressively defend their space. When hippos attack, they do so with canine teeth nearly 2 feet long at a pressure of 2000 pounds per square inch (a lion exerts half this much pressure when biting its hardest). As if that weren’t enough reason to steer clear, hippos sweat a red liquid that looks like blood, securing their title as most metal animal on the planet.