One of the bigger surprises of the past couple of weeks was the revelation that the Chicago Bears had only one player in mind if they were to stay at 9th overall. That is Jalen Carter. The mercurial Georgia defensive tackle has had a rough pre-draft process with an arrest for street racing and a poor showing at his pro day. Many wonder if he’s too big of a red flag to justify a top 10 pick. Yet based on reports, it seems Poles isn’t afraid to take that swing if the eight teams in front of him present that opportunity.
There is no question Carter is a beast physically. When he was on, there wasn’t anybody on the field that could block him. He’s big, strong, quick, and ferocious. The problem is that potential doesn’t reflect in his production. He never reached more than 3.5 sacks in a single season. For all the brilliant flashes, he never entirely found consistency. It is why many people hope the Bears don’t take that risk. A better question is why would Poles feel so confident?
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network explained in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
“One of the things with him, obviously the decision-making off the field is a real concern. When you watch him on the tape, I see a guy who appears to be pretty passionate and who plays with a lot of effort and really loves football. Just in my personal experience from years past, when guys have that part of it and they know that it can be taken away from them, that can open their eyes a little bit and you can get an improvement on some of the stuff that has taken place off the field. If you have some off-the-field issues and football doesn’t really matter to them all that much and it’s just kind of a means to an end, that to me is a way scarier process and carries much more risk.”
Jalen Carter checks the most critical boxes.
Whenever asked, Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have said they want players that play with intensity and love football. There is no question Carter has both those traits. Aside from maturity concerns, his primary issue is a general apathy toward practice. He’s not a big fan of working hard in the days leading up to a game. That is a mentality he will have to kick under this regime. It’s easy to forget the guy is only 21 years old. There is plenty of growing still for him to do.
Poles believes the Bears have the right structure in place to help young players like Jalen Carter grow. He’s not entirely misguided in that belief. Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams have many years of NFL experience combined. They’ve coached young players with personality quirks before. They also know when the talent is worth the effort. Carter is an ideal fit for their defenses. He could anchor their defensive front for a decade if they can get him straightened out.
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