Report: Bears will draft Jalen Carter if he's available

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A new report suggests that Jalen Carter won’t fall past the Bears if he’s still on the board when they’re on the clock with the No. 9 pick. ESPN published draft intel from their insiders about all 32 NFL teams on Thursday, and the big takeaway for the Bears was that Ryan Poles will select Carter if he has the chance.

“They are said to value him highly,” wrote Matt Miller.

This contradicts the previous consensus regarding how the Bears felt about Carter. We don’t need to rehash Carter’s numerous red flags here, but it’s worth noting that when Poles spoke about drafting a player with so many off-field questions, the general takeaway was that the Bears would steer clear.

Of course there’s a chance the Bears never have an opportunity to draft Carter. Many draft experts tout Carter as the most talented player in the draft class and believe he could be selected with a high pick, regardless of his red flags.

“One AFC college scouting director said the Seahawks (who pick at No. 5) and Lions (No. 6) also could take Carter in the top 10,” wrote Miller.

Looking at talent alone, Carter is a slam dunk top-five pick in the draft. Some even thought Carter was worthy of being the No. 1 overall pick if the Bears had opted to stay put rather than trading back with the Panthers. The opportunity to add that type of talent, in a position of need, further down the draft board would be tantalizing for any GM.

“Outside of the value, Carter would be a great fit in the middle of the Chicago defensive line,” wrote Miller. “He'd be a true building block for Matt Eberflus' 4-3 defense.”

The draft begins on Apr. 27.

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