The Chicago Bears are sitting with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, where they’ll likely have options to trade down and acquire additional capital with plenty of quarterback-needy teams.
If all goes right, the Bears could wind up trading back from No. 1 and still have a top-four selection. Which means a top defender like Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. or Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter would still be on the board.
No matter where you look, typically any mock drafts mentioning the Bears have them going defense with Anderson or Carter, which makes sense given the defensive line was their biggest weakness.
There’s already been a lot of back-and-forth about whether Chicago should go with a star edge rusher in Anderson or a stud three-technique in Carter. But MMQB’s Albert Breer believes there’s one that stands above the other: Carter.
Bears GM Ryan Poles helped build a defense in Kansas City whose best player was a disruptive, interior war daddy. Bears coach Matt Eberflus was in Indianapolis when the Colts traded for that kind of guy, DeForest Buckner, and built his final defense as coordinator there around his talents. Carter, to be sure, is that kind of guy. I’ve heard him compared to Fletcher Cox. I’ve heard him compared to Ndamukong Suh. He has that kind of potential, and in this case would give Chicago’s GM and coach a familiar baseline to build off on defense.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus has stressed the importance of the three-technique in his defense, which is why Carter might certainly be graded higher on Chicago’s draft board.
Things will likely become clearer as the offseason unfolds, starting with how general manager Ryan Poles chooses to attack free agency. Does he choose to find a dominant 3-tech in free agency? If so, that opens the Bears up to address other needs. But he could certainly choose to target Carter, who many have pegged as the top prospect in this draft class.
