There are several players the Chicago Bears would be willing to take at the number nine pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. There’s one they covet, though. Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham met with reporters on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the draft.
The Chicago Bears like 6-8 players at 9
Cunningham said the Bears don’t assign round grades to prospects, but the team has 6-8 players in mind to take at the number nine position.
Cunningham spoke about one prospect that has recently been getting a lot of attention in Chicago: Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. According to Kevin Fishbain with The Athletic, Cunningham said the Bears “covet” Carter’s skills as a defensive playmaker:
“He’s one of those players that you covet in terms of being one of the better defensive tackles in this draft.”
Carter has had a few issues this offseason that have allegedly hurt his draft stock. He pleaded no contest to traffic charges in an incident connected to the death of two members of the Georgia football program. A few weeks later, Carter showed up to his Pro Day out of shape. Cunningham said Tuesday that the Bears understood Carter better after meeting with him and that Carter would fit in head coach Matt Eberflus H.I.T.S. philosophy.
“The more time you spent around him the more you realized that he’s a good player, but you get to know him [as a person],” Cunningham said.
There’s a good chance Carter won’t be on the draft board by the time the Bears pick. But if he’s available, it seems like general manager Ryan Poles might gift Eberflus his three-tech.
More must-reads: