Chicago Bears Draft: Did Ryan Poles make a mistake passing on Jalen Carter?

Thursday night, all eyes were on general manager Ryan Poles when the Chicago Bears had a golden opportunity with the no. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

There he was, sitting right within the Bears’ grasp.

Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter was the pick. He had to be, right? Arguably the best defensive player in the draft, free falling, into the hands of a Bears organization that’s trying to rebuild its defense from the ground, up.

Except, Poles thought differently. Instead of drafting Carter, he traded back with the Philadelphia Eagles just one spot and allowed the defending NFC Champions to snag Carter, bolstering their already-feared defense.

Instead of drafting Carter, the Bears moved back and selected Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright, who fills a tremendous need for the team. Yet, we still must ask the question.

Did Poles make a mistake passing on Carter?

Ryan Poles went with his gut, protecting the Chicago Bears’ franchise quarterback Justin Fields, in drafting Darnell Wright

Poles was told he should draft offense early in the 2022 NFL Draft, but opted for defense. This year, he was told by many that he should go with a defensive player at no. 9, but went the opposite route.

Maybe, as fans, we need to sit back and trust his process.

Do we not remember Fields getting laid out, game after game, throughout his second season? Had we not seen enough of that movie, yet?

The fact of the matter is, Carter came with plenty of red flags. Poles and the Bears met with the Georgia Bulldog during the pre-draft process, and obviously the meeting did not change their mind about many of the worries surrounding Carter.

In contrast, Wright is as safe a pick as you could possibly get at no. 9 overall. He’s a 6-foot-5, rock-solid starting right tackle prospect; a true, prototypical right tackle prospect, mind you.

The Bears’ offensive line is, by all intents and purposes, set for now with Wright, Nate Davis, Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick and Braxton Jones.

For Fields to be protected at a much higher level in his third season is worth passing on a questionable player, albeit with generational talent.

No, Poles did not make a mistake. He went with the smartest pick he could make.