GM Ryan Poles threw everybody off his scent when he traded the #1 overall pick last month. At that point, everybody knew what the Chicago Bears would probably do. They’d take Jalen Carter or Will Anderson. A lot has changed since then. The Bears moved down to the 9th overall spot, and now it’s not so certain either Carter or Anderson will go in the top five, let alone the top three. Carter is the bigger story after he pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges for street racing that resulted in two deaths. He followed that up with an ugly pro day where he was nine pounds overweight and couldn’t even finish drills.
Despite that, the Georgia defensive tackle remains confident he will go in the top 10. So much so that he isn’t even taking interviews with teams out of it. Some assume the Bears aren’t going to take that risk. Well, that confidence might seem misplaced. Several sources have confirmed Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have done tons of extra legwork on Carter. They’ve met with him multiple times and talked to several people around him, including coaches, teammates, and family.
If that weren’t enough, there is something else to remember. Poles has seen a scenario almost exactly like this play out before.
Jalen Carter might be another Chris Jones.
Most people know the Kansas City Chiefs’ star defensive lineman for what he is now. They often forget he was considered a significant gamble back in 2016. While scouts loved his size, athleticism, and power, they worried about his inconsistency, erratic motor, and unimpressive production. He had only 8.5 sacks and 18 tackles for a loss in three years. Still, the Chiefs liked what they saw on tape and felt he was worth the risk. However, they got the sense other teams weren’t as high on him.
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So they hatched a plan, trading their 26th overall pick in the 1st round to San Francisco for the 37th pick in the 2nd round, a 4th round pick, and a 6th round pick. They still landed Jones but had the added value of two extra picks to soften the blow if he didn’t work out. Obviously, he did.
Fast forward to last month. Ryan Poles won’t risk taking Carter at #1 overall despite his obvious flashes of dominance at Georgia. So he trades down with Carolina, secures a top receiver, a future 1st round pick, and two 2nd round picks. It could be considered an exact blueprint of the Chris Jones trade. Now the Bears GM can feel justified making that pick if Carter is there at #9. If it doesn’t work out, he’ll have secured enough assets from the trade to mitigate the damage. If it does? The Bears get themselves a potential superstar for their defense.
