Who should the Chicago Bears select in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft?

The time for talk is nearly over. After months of rampant speculation following the gift of Lovie Smith in Week 18 of the 2022-23 NFL Season, the Chicago Bears will finally make their decision in Round 1 of the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 27th.

The decision they will make, however? That remains to be seen. Your guess is as good as mine.

With hot takes flying around more frequently than ever, it seems the Chicago Bears have many options on the table in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Do they move up? Do they trade down? Do they select for need? Do they select the best player available? What are Ryan Poles’ true intentions?

I feel comfortable in saying that I can take one position off the board: Quarterback. Justin Fields isn’t going anywhere. The Chicago Bears are riding this season out, at the very least, with JF1 at QB1.

While I am not opposed to Ryan Poles moving back to acquire more draft capital to fill our needs or moving up to get his guy, Bears Nation must consider who Poles will target if he stays at the No.9 pick.

The draft can fall in many ways in picks 1-8, but in my mind, there is only one player whom Ryan Poles should run to the podium to select if he’s available when the Chicago Bears on are the clock.

The Chicago Bears must select Jalen Carter at Pick 9 of the 2023 NFL Draft if he’s available

Before you scowl in disgust due to the ongoing rumors of character concerns and a lack of love for football, allow me a rebuttal.

Prior to all of the pre-draft stories, Jalen Carter was THE blue-chip prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. Immediately after the season, pundits everywhere had the Chicago Bears selecting him with the No.1 overall pick.

It made all the sense in the world.

The nitpickiness of the pre-draft process began, and all of a sudden, the most talented player on an amazing Georgia Bulldogs defense for the last two seasons was called out for taking plays off and not loving football. Then, the news came out of his involvement in a tragic accident.

I must admit, I initially wanted nothing to do with him after that point. With that being said, the Bears were still sitting at No.1. It wasn’t long before Ryan Poles figuratively said, “Hold my beer.”

With his acquisition of D.J. Moore and a boatload of draft capital, the Chicago Bears now sat at No.9 in the 2023 NFL Draft. At that point, in my mind, everything changed.

Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus has consistently spoken about how important the 3-technique is in his version of the Tampa 2 defense. Bears fans should be familiar with this, as Tommie Harris was once the engine of a Super Bowl defense in the Windy City.

While James Jones played the position serviceably last season, it is clear that we need an upgrade to keep Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and 2022-23 Brian Piccolo Award recipient Jack Sanborn clean to make plays at linebacker.

Are we really in a situation to pass on a player who has been called potentially the best player in this draft class at No.9 after we’ve already essentially selected D.J. Moore in Round 1? If you ask me, we’re playing with house money.

I fully believe in Matt Eberflus’ ability to get the most out of Jalen Carter. The draft pokes holes in every top player. Additionally, it doesn’t seem those who knew him best at his alma mater agree with any of the negative publicity surrounding Carter.

The Chicago Bears are on a roll right now. They’re widely considered to have aced this offseason thus far. Ryan Poles seems to be operating at a level we’ve never seen before in Chicago at General Manager.

His master stroke could come Thursday if Jalen Carter is available at the No.9 pick.

There is no need to overthink this as there is no shame in selecting the most talented player in the draft class at a vital position that we desperately need to improve.

We have plenty more draft capital to address other areas of need. Ryan Poles has shown he can find starting-caliber players throughout all rounds of the NFL Draft in just one season as GM. He even finds them in the undrafted free agent pool.

One thing is for certain, and that is the 2023 NFL Draft is going to have Chicago Bears fans on the edge of their seats. I hope I hear one thing.

“With the ninth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Jalen Carter, defensive tackle, Georgia.”