The odds are favorable that the Chicago Bears will hold the #1 or #2 pick by the end of business on Sunday. It will give them premium placement in the 2023 draft. GM Ryan Poles will have a chance to do one of two things. He can look to trade down, handing the slot to a QB-needy team in exchange for a large cache of extra picks. Or he can take the best player on the board. Most agree it is a race between two defensive stalwarts in Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson and Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Both players have exceptional talent. Nobody disputes that. The challenge is figuring out who should be first off the board. Chicago lacks any credible presence on the edge after Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn left town. Anderson would fix that problem immediately. On the other hand, the three-technique defensive tackle spot is vital to Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 defense. It’s the engine that runs everything. Thus Carter would look like an obvious choice.
That led to an interesting question. What do draft experts think? Not so much who they think the Bears will pick, but who is the better prospect. After some quick research across draft rankings and big board, there isn’t any hint of a debate. The choice should be obvious if Poles has both in front of him.
- Bleacher Report: Will Anderson
- Dane Brugler (The Athletic): Will Anderson
- Pro Football Focus: Will Anderson
- Sporting News: Will Anderson
- Drafttek: Will Anderson
- Draft Network: Will Anderson
- Tankathon: Will Anderson
- Pro Football Network: Will Anderson
Will Anderson is far more proven than Carter.
Nobody argues the Georgia defensive tackle is a freakish specimen. There are flashes on tape that make your jaw drop at times. The problem is these flashes aren’t frequent enough. It reflects in his production. Carter only has six sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss in two years. Anderson has 27.5 sacks and 48 tackles for a loss. He shows up in both key areas. His tape is excellent, and the stats back it up. When that happens, it’s a fair assumption you have somebody that will thrive in the NFL. Scheme fit shouldn’t matter. Take the best player.
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The decision will ultimately fall to Poles. He has the final say. It won’t be surprising if Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams fall in love with Carter. He is exactly what they need for that system they run. Then again, the Bears could solve the problem in free agency with top talents like Da’Ron Payne and Dre’Mont Jones potentially available. If either signs in Chicago, then drafting Will Anderson becomes a no-brainer.
Correct you take the best player aka Anderson. Carter flashes and is not consistent therefore the production is not there. That high you take a proven winner with production not a physical specimen with red flags. It’s known in the draft circles that he is lazy and does not love football. This has bust written all over it. You can get the 3T from Pittsburg who is a Aaron Donald type with more production in the early rounds. Fast and strong. Productive. You take productive players in the first three rounds, not projects with red flags. This will get you… Read more »
Thomas Gena: can we trade you for a poster to be named later??
Looking up from the bottom of the worst team in many years: and is a limbo low bar. This new season and, our resources going forward must give everyone (even glass half full fans) hope for a reversal in our “Monsters” title fading. The reality of that hope in the future can only be guessed of course. But, my image is of a beginning Dynasty. I trust in Poles (still) and he is doing the right things to built. Lets give him a chance to achieve. It wasn’t so many years ago another sport in this same city had a… Read more »
The Bears are a needy team. They are weak in the trenches on both sides. If they pick either Carter or Anderson with their draft choice, they won’t have another draft pick until the end of the second round. That should make it perfectly clear that they need more draft picks. The only way to get them is to trade their first-round draft pick with a team that needs a quarterback and hopefully they get many draft picks in return. This is the only way for Ryan Poles to address the challenges facing the Bears in making their roster more… Read more »
So, I’ll qualify this by saying Tommy Harris spoiled me. Before he got injured, man, that was a future HOF’er in the making. I’ve measured everyone since then by him and yes that’s unfair. Still… I haven’t been impressed with Jalen Carter. His game against OSU was meh. At least when he was on the field. They kept taking him out cuz he was exhausted? Look, I know every team does that but geez, it was like every other play he was off the field. I don’t think that’s gonna fly with the HITS principle. Will Anderson shows the most… Read more »