Somebody will draft Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. He is one of the best prospects in the 2023 draft class.
But some teams likely pass on Carter, too.
Character issues and a poor performance at his pro day cloud his draft status and could lead to Carter slipping lower than he should go based on talent alone.
The Bears could use the 3-technique as it’s the most important position in Matt Eberflus’ Tampa Two scheme.
Will Chicago select Carter if he’s there when they draft ninth?
Assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham wasn’t tipping the team’s hand in Tuesday’s pre-draft media availability.
“Me, personally, I think just spending more time with him and really just getting to know him, we were able to be there with him,” Cunningham said when asked if he would be comfortable drafting Carter, via Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Our first conversation was I think at the combine. Second time was at his pro day. I think the more time you spend around him, the more you realize he’s a good player, but you get to know him more as a person.”
Carter pleaded no contest to misdemeanor driving offenses in connection to a car crash that killed his Georgia teammate, Devin Willock, and Georgia football staffer Chandler LeCroy earlier this year. He received one year of probation and a $1,000 fine.
“I think Jalen’s a really good player,” Cunningham said. “There’s no denying the talent. You turn on the tape a couple of years ago when [Georgia] won the national championship and they had all those defensive linemen on the field — you couldn’t help but notice [No.] 88 and the knowing that, ‘Oh he’s going to be in next year’s class. He’s one of those players you covet just in terms of you know being one of the better defensive tackles in the class.”
