Decisive Update Emerges About Bears’ Interest in Jalen Carter

Getty Jalen Carter could be in play for the Bears with the No. 9 overall pick.

Much has been made about whether the Chicago Bears would want to draft Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft this month, but it sounds as though a decision has been made.

According to ESPN national reporter Matt Miller, the pre-draft intel is pointing toward the Bears making Carter their first-round selection in 2023. He added that the Bears “highly” value the controversial defensive tackle and that Carter “won’t fall past their pick at No. 9” overall when the opening gets going on April 27.

“They are said to value [Carter] highly,” Miller wrote. “One AFC college scouting director said the Seahawks (who pick at No. 5) and the Lions (No. 6) also could take Carter in the top 10. Outside of the value, Carter would be a great fit in the middle of the Chicago defensive line. He’d be a true building block for Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 defense.”

The Bears have met with Carter multiple times through the pre-draft process, including once at the NFL Scouting Combine prior to his March 1 arrest and again on April 3 when they hosted him for an official top 30 visit. According to Bears insider Daniel Greenberg, Chicago has also been doing additional homework on Carter that includes speaking with people from his hometown to get a better sense of him as a person.

Should the Bears’ investigative process turn up no character issues for Carter outside of his one-time mistake, he could be a slam-dunk selection for them at No. 9 overall — as long as he doesn’t get taken off the board in the first eight picks.

Jalen Carter Checks All the Boxes for Bears Defense

Before Carter’s arrest, he was considered one of the top two defensive prospects in the 2023 class alongside Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr., and for good reason.

The 6-foot-3, 314-pound defensive tackle is a violent mauler in the trenches, possessing a lethal combination of pure strength and raw athleticism that makes him difficult for opposing offensive linemen to handle regardless of whether he is rushing the passer or working to stop the run. According to Pro Football Focus, Carter posted an astonishing pass-rush win rate of 16.3% for the Bulldogs in 2022 and added a 15.3% run-stop rate — both of which firmly rank in the elite range for the metric. Most importantly for the Bears, he is also a natural fit for the three-technique role, which is the “engine” of Eberflus’ defense that has been missing from their roster up to this point.

Carter’s age probably also adds a little more appeal for Chicago. He just turned 22 at the beginning of April and is the essence of a young building block for a franchise that is trying to move out of the direst part of its heavy rebuild. For reference, that means the Bears could draft him in the first round, make him a centerpiece of their defensive line for the next five years (fifth-year option included) and would still only have him on the verge of turning 27 when he would be scheduled to hit free agency in 2028.

Seahawks/Lions Remain Biggest Obstacles for Bears

Carter has always felt like an option for the Bears so long as he cleared their pre-draft process without any additional concerns. He has also already put his legal troubles in the past with his attorney, Kim Stevens, telling ESPN back on March 16 that he pleaded no contest to charges of reckless driving and racing and was sentenced to 12 months probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service in addition to being required to take a state-approved defensive driving course.

Now, the Bears just have to hope that none of the other teams higher up in the first-round order feel as comfortable about drafting Carter.

As Miller mentioned, the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions are the two big names to watch when it comes to Carter. Both teams have strong cases for drafting an NFL-ready defensive tackle in 2022 and both could have a shot at Carter depending on how many quarterbacks come off the board in the first four picks. It is better for the Bears if the Arizona Cardinals trade down to another quarterback-needy team and set up a situation where the first four picks could all be quarterbacks, but that also helps the other two.

There are other, less controversial options that could make sense for both Seattle and Detroit in the first round, though. Anderson is the obvious one, but Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson, Clemson’s Myles Murphy and Georgia’s Nolan Smith are also premium defenders with top-1o potential. Cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez or Devon Witherspoon might appeal to the Lions more so now that they have dealt away Jeff Okudah, too, as could having their choice of offensive tackle — although, they might decide to address that problem with their other first-round selection at No. 18 overall.