NFL Mock Draft season is truly upon us. And with the Chicago Bears owning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and "on the clock," so to speak, fans are going to be inundated with draft speculation.
Let's start with NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah dropped his first mock draft and it has the Bears staying at No. 1 and selecting Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
"I’m sure the Bears would love to trade out of this pick. If that option isn’t available -- or the offers fail to meet their asking price -- Carter would be an immediate difference-maker on all three downs," Jeremiah wrote.
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He's not wrong. Bears fans are dreaming of a bidding war between quarterback-needy teams, trading down and to get more picks and still potentially landing a player like Carter.
Ideal scenario, the Houston Texans trade the No. 2 and No. 12 pick to move up and make sure the Indianapolis Colts leap frog them. Then they'd still land Carter and have another high, first-round draft pick.
Hey, it's a dream... but we're talking mock drafts so let's dream.
Carter does seem like a good option for the Bears should he be the pick. And Bears fans won't bristle about taking a defensive player too much. One of Khalil Mack's first impression of Chicago was how beloved the defensive players were by the fanbase.
NFL
Carter comes with a stout resume. Two-time CFP National Champion. Unanimous All-American. First-team (2022) and second-team (2021) All-SEC honors. Finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation's tip lineman.
Our own Glynn Morgan noted that Carter is extremely athletic, with an enviable blend of size, power, agility and quickness that is difficult to stop.
So while fans might be holding out hope for trading the first-overall pick and still landing Jalen Carter, if the Bears have to take a player at No. 1 there are worse options than Jalen Carter.
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