3 reasons it is fine that the Chicago Bears passed on Georgia DT Jalen Carter in the NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears had arguably the best player in the NFL Draft to take with the No. 9 pick.

Instead of taking a possible generational talent in Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, general manager Ryan Poles swapped draft slots with the Philadelphia Eagles so they could take Carter.

In return, Poles moved down one spot, took Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright, and picked up a future fourth-round selection.

Before Wright’s name was called, there was a moment when a portion of the Bears’ fandom was livid that the organization passed on Carter. Some woke up still upset.

The Chicago Bears passed up on Jalen Carter in the 2023 NFL Draft.

There is some solid reasoning for being a little frustrated that the Chicago Bears did not take Carter. He is a game-wrecker and a monster to block. He may one day end up in the Hall of Fame.

He is one of the few defensive tackles that projects to be a great three-technique tackle. That is the engine of head coach Matt Eberflus’ defense. It would make sense when the best prospect at such an important position falls into your lap to snatch him up and build the next great defense around him.

If Carter did not come with some much baggage and Ryan Poles passed on him, then it would make sense to still wake up angry.

The problem is that Carter came with more questions than answers and that is why it is okay that Poles went in a different direction.

There are three reasons why it is not the end of the world that Jalen Carter was not the Bears’ first-round pick.

Jalen Carter’s character was clearly questioned by the Chicago Bears.

Jalen Carter might be the second coming of Warren Sapp. He might also be out of the NFL in three seasons with all his maturity issues.

He was arrested this offseason for reckless driving and racing that involved the death of a teammate and a Georgia staffer. The teammate and staffer were in another car allegedly racing Carter and then had a fatal crash.

It was a tragic situation. Carter made his part in the situation worse by leaving the scene, then initially telling police he was not racing, and only heard about the accident after it occurred.

Some might chalk that up to being young and scared of the situation. He still had character questions before and after his arrest. He appeared out of shape in the College Football Playoff semifinal game. He was a non-factor in the game.

Carter showed up out of shape for his pro day and could not complete drills. Those character and motivation issues are why Carter is not a Bear.

Eberflus needs a top-line three-technique defensive tackle for his defense to be successful. Carter was not going to be a fit for Matt Eberflus. The head coach wants a motor and meanness in his lineman. Wright has a consistent motor and a mean streak while Carter does not.

Also, the Chicago Bears do not have the infrastructure in place like the Philadelphia Eagles do to keep Carter in the line.

If the Bears had the players in place like the Eagles do and passed on Carter, it is okay to be furious. Since they do not, the chances of Carter reaching his full potential in Chicago would be murky.

The Chicago Bears are focused on protecting their franchise quarterback.

Fields was sacked 55 times last season. He was sacked 14.7% of the time he dropped back to pass.

Patrick Mahomes was sacked only 3.9% of the time on his dropbacks. Jalen Hurts was sacked 7.6% of the time. Mahomes won the MVP and Hurts was the runner-up. Both were the starting quarterbacks in the Super Bowl.

For Fields to reach his MVP potential and lead the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl, he needs time in the pocket. Now some of those sack numbers are on Fields. He needs to get rid of the ball quicker.

He still took a beating because of poor pass protection. If Ryan Poles did not take Wright, then currently the battle for the starting right tackle spot would be between Larry Borom and Alex Leatherwood.

Borom was benched last season and Leatherwood was inactive after getting a tryout. The offensive line had to be upgraded. Poles was able to get help for the interior portion when he signed Nate Davis this offseason. He swung and missed on a free-agent tackle.

Therefore, he needed to get a starter out of this draft and Darnell Wright is a plug-and-play prospect.

He gave up zero sacks last year playing in the SEC. That is impressive considering he had to take on Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. and Georgia’s defensive line. Anderson said Wright was the best offensive lineman he faced all season.

The 2023 season is a pivotal season for Fields’ development. Ryan Poles is doing everything he can to make sure he provides Justin with all the support he can get.

Poles turned the No. 1 overall pick into wide receiver D.J. Moore and extra draft picks via a trade with the Carolina Panthers. He then got Fields better protection this offseason.

The Bears finally have a general manager who recognizes the quarterback cannot do it all by himself and needs help. When Poles tries to provide that assistance, he gets skewered for it.

Plus, Poles needed to come away with a player who can start for a decade. Wright is more likely to do that than Carter with all of Carter’s issues.

The Chicago Bears can still upgrade the rest of their defense this weekend.

To be clear, the Chicago Bears defensive line is still not good. Jaquan Brisker was last year’s leader in sacks. He plays safety and he only registered four.

Bears defensive linemen registered 10.5 sacks, 28 tackles for losses, and 31 quarterback hits. That is just not going to cut it for a defense built on needing to be disruptive. So, Jalen Carter would have helped immensely in that area (if he played motivated).

Ryan Poles still has five more rounds (the Bears currently do not have a sixth-round pick) and nine picks to upgrade the defensive line. He has three picks on Friday (No. 53 and 61 in the second round and No. 64 in the third round) and six more on Saturday (two in the fourth, fifth, and seventh round).

There are still a lot of good defensive players to take. Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore has the potential to play the three-technique. He also provides a lot of versatility along the line. Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton can be a disruptive force at defensive tackle.

There are plenty of good players that can be drafted that can upgrade the line’s interior. This draft also has a lot of depth at edge rusher.

It is not like Carter was going to fix all the defense’s problems. Poles is still going to need to take a few more players on the defensive line even if he had drafted Carter to get the defense to where it needs to be. Plus, there will be other drafts to add generational talent.