Ranking the Bears’ 3 best options with the No. 1 pick
Jalen Carter, Chicago Bears. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears will have the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft thanks to a loss and Texans win in Week 18, but what are the team’s best options?
Chicago Bears fans can direct their thank you letters to Houston after Sunday in Week 18.
Coming into the final week of the regular season, the only chance that the Bears had to earn the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft was to first lose to the Vikings but also have the lowly Texans win on the road against the Colts. Chicago had no issue with their part as Justin Fields was out, but Houston surprised everyone as they jumped out to an early lead, blew it, but then scored on a Hail Mary before converting a gambling two-point try to take the lead and get the win.
Now, the Bears are the somewhat unlikely owners of the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. But with the way this draft class is shaping up, they have a bevy of options. In reality, there are three real options for Chicago and we’re ranking those three choices for what they can do with the top selection.
Bears best options with No. 1 pick in 2023 NFL Draft – No. 3: Select Georgia DL Jalen Carter
There are few areas of the Bears defense that don’t need some sort of help, but the group of front needs perhaps the most significant upgrades. Chicago’s defensive line routinely struggled to get pressure, was eaten up often against the run, and just generally didn’t perform anywhere close to a successful unit throughout the season.
Naturally, that leads us to perhaps the best overall prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft, Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Jalen Carter. The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder is an absolute freak on the interior. He has the movement ability of a man at least twice as small as he but does so while not sacrificing strength.
Some will compare him to another first-round pick out of Georgia from the 2022 draft class, Jordan Davis. That’s not a bad thing given how good Davis was when healthy as a rookie, but Carter is different with a lighter frame and more of an immediate chance to impact the game on three downs upon his arrival in the NFL.
The Bears have no one on the defensive front right now who can impact both the run and pass the way that Carter should be able to. It’s definitely quite early to draft an interior defensive lineman, though, which is why it comes in as only the third best option. But make no mistake, he’s a player capable of making an enormous impact.
