Arguably, at this point, the Bears biggest need is pass-rusher. Ryan Pace did a great job addressing the need for Wide Receiver in Free Agency by grabbing guys like Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel. The mission was clear, give Mitchell Trubisky weapons going into Year 2.
Before Free Agency even began though, Pace wanted to rid the roster of players that were on the wrong side of 30 and had injury-riddled careers. This meant saying goodbye to players like Pernell McPhee and Willie Young. Two extremely talented pass-rushers when they’re on the field…but, struggled to avoid the injury bug during the tenure in Chicago.
Bears release Pernell McPhee, Quentin Demps: https://t.co/m9ylT6pfbw pic.twitter.com/0I7aEbm5Gg
— NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2018
This created a gaping hole in the Outside Linebacker position across from Leonard Floyd. Signing Aaron Lynch to a one year deal is not the solution. He’s a solid signing, having flashed extreme upside with Vic Fangio before, but he doesn’t solve the issue of needing pass-rushers. As Philadelphia showed, you can never have too many players who can get after the Quarterback.
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If the Bears don’t address the Edge position in the first round of the draft, there’s a possibility that a steal might be waiting for them in Round 2. And he should look eerily familiar to Bears fans…
Lorenzo Carter is an Outside Linebacker coming out of Georgia. He stands 6’6”, weighs 250 pounds, 34” arms and a 82-inch wingspan. He ran a 4.50 40-yard dash (2nd among edge rushers), had a 36” vertical jump (3rd among edge rushers) and had a 130-inch broad jump (1st among edge rushers). Insane numbers for someone of his size.
Why does this all sound familiar?
Leonard Floyd came out of Georgia, was 6’6” coming out, weighed 244 pounds and had a 33 1/8” arm length. He ran a 4.60 40-yard dash, had a 39.5” vertical and had a 127” broad jump. Whoa.
Much like Leonard Floyd at Georgia, Carter was asked to do a variety of different things on the field. He played on the edge, had his hand in the dirt, dropped back into coverage and did whatever was asked of him.
At 6-6, 250 and running a 4.50 40, Lorenzo Carter is one of the most intriguing projects in this draft class. He's extremely raw, but the upside is potentially there. Versaility at OLB and EDGE rusher is a plus. pic.twitter.com/gZxRnNzsGl
— J.R. (@JReidDraftScout) March 23, 2018
With pass-rushers in the draft, most people want to see the sack numbers to show that they can produce like that in the NFL. However, Carter never went over 5 sacks in a season in his four years at Georgia. This doesn’t mean that he can’t bring down the QB though, he just wasn’t asked to do it often. This could be a blessing in disguise for the Bears as he might fall to where the Bears pick early in the second round.
If you remember correctly, Floyd never went over 6.5 sacks in his college career and he’s gone on to show that he can produce in the NFL when he’s healthy. There might not be a better fit for Lorenzo Carter than with the Chicago Bears and Vic Fangio. Mostly because Fangio’s already shown how he can utilize Floyd in his defense.
If the Bears decide to address the Offensive Line, Cornerback or Inside Linebacker in Round 1, there could be a gem waiting to be discovered in the second round. Do you think Ryan Pace will pull the trigger? A defense that has Floyd and Carter on either side of it could be extremely dangerous.
Wait, do you hear that?
It sounds like Kirk Cousins wishing he signed with the Jets instead…
