Plenty of people were stunned when Jalen Carter fell in the top 10 on Thursday night. Despite his well-documented off-the-field issues, it was still felt the Georgia defensive tackle was way too talented to fall so far. That is why several Chicago Bears fans salivated when he slipped to the 9th spot. After all the reports leading up to the draft, everybody expected GM Ryan Poles to pull the trigger. Then reality came crashing down. Chicago swapped spots with the Philadelphia Eagles at #10 for a future 4th round pick. The defending NFC champions took Carter. The Bears opted for big Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright.
Poles wasn’t under any illusions. He knew passing on Carter was going to upset some people. Bears media members inevitably brought it up at his post-1st round presser late Thursday evening. He chose not to discuss Carter specifically. However, he did offer one small line that sent a clear signal for why the Bears passed on him.
Remember, it’s not like the Bears were lazy about this.
They met with Carter several times leading up to the draft. They did their homework. Clearly, they didn’t like what they were hearing. Perhaps nothing sums up why the Bears passed better than this snippet from Bob McGinn of Go Long.
In March, Carter showed up at pro day weighing 323 pounds, nine more than at the combine. After Joe Cullen, the defensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, orchestrated drill work for the assembled NFL audience, Carter ran out of gas and abruptly quit.
“He put him through the ringer,” said an executive. “They were trying to break him, and he broke. No, it’s not a black mark. It’s a question mark, not a black mark.”
You see that happen, then turn around and try to do the same thing with Wright a few days later, only to see him battle through the workout. Talent is one thing. Mental toughness is where championships are won and lost. Once it became clear Carter lacked that, the Bears were out.
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Jalen Carter wasn’t worth the risk.
Nobody denies the talent. His flashes at Georgia were outstanding. The problem was it never sustained. His production didn’t reflect his ability, notching only six total sacks in two years. There were several reports of conditioning issues even before that pro day disaster. Many felt he lacked the work ethic necessary to fully realize his potential. That is reflected in how he completely vanished in the game against Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ interior OL wore him out. He was a non-factor in the 4th quarter.
Yes, there is a risk in passing on Jalen Carter. He may get over his maturity issues, improve his work ethic, and become a great Eagles player. The Bears don’t seem bothered by that. They had certain thresholds that needed to be met for a player to justify being a 1st round pick for them. Carter didn’t meet enough of them. Wright did. It’s that simple. Philadelphia seems confident their veteran culture will get him straightened out. Maybe, but they better hope so. Otherwise, it will look like Poles hoodwinked them for a second time.
