Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles shares comments on Jalen Carter's draft status

The Chicago Bears will be cautious regarding Jalen Carter

Now, with approximately one month until the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, Jalen Carter's status is as big of a question mark as any projected first-round prospect, but there are many reasons why the Chicago Bears should avoid him with the ninth overall pick.

While Jalen Carter would fill a tremendous position of need for the Chicago Bears, there are simply too many off-the-field concerns to warrant a top-10 selection, especially for a team as young and inexperienced as the Bears. Ryan Poles himself said something to this effect on Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting, telling reporters that:

""We want to be careful because we're still young and impressionable, so I think making sure that we continue to bring a good core group in is important. I think maybe down the road where you want to take a risk like [drafting Jalen Carter], I think the locker room begins to run itself so you can take some chances. Right now, we need both, we need talent, but at the same I'm still going to be a little bit cautious of bringing in the wrong type of person". "

- Ryan Poles, Chicago Bears GM

It does not appear that Jalen Carter is particularly high on the Chicago Bears' draft board at this point. Despite potentially filling an important position of need, Carter's off-the-field situation is particularly volatile for a draft prospect, and bringing him in as a foundational piece of the franchise might be a problematic message to send to the younger players currently on the roster.

For Carter, it seems safe to assume that several organizations share Poles' thoughts in some capacity, including the Las Vegas Raiders, who recently publicly stated that they would not be considering Jalen Carter, if available, with the seventh overall selection. After appearing in early mock drafts as a top-five selection, there are only a few spots in the first round that make sense for a team to draft Carter.

The Philadelphia Eagles, who draft 10th overall, currently have two of Carter's Georgia teammates in linebacker Nakobe Dean and defensive tackle Jordan Davis. This may be a good opportunity to bring Carter into an NFL locker room with veteran leadership as well as familiar faces. Another potential landing spot may be the Pittsburgh Steelers at 17 overall. Few coaches around the league are respected as leaders as much as Mike Tomlin, so if any organization believed that they have the internal infrastructure to support a person like Carter, it may be Pittsburgh.

No matter where Carter lands in the first round, it will be essential that he is in the right place to develop as a person and a player. Carter may have a very long, successful NFL career in front of him, and there is no reason to root against him as a person, but nonetheless, it appears that the Chicago Bears will likely not be considering Carter with the 9th overall selection.