Bears take chance on Jalen Carter in new mock draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bears have already made big, big moves this offseason. Ryan Poles completely reshaped the narrative of this spring when he traded away the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft for the No. 9 pick, D.J. Moore and a handful of more picks, and there are good reasons to believe Moore could be the most impactful piece of that blockbuster deal. But the Bears still have many holes to fill on their roster, and must hit more than they miss in this year’s draft to set themselves up for sustained success. That’s especially true with the No. 9 pick.
As always, these mock drafts aren’t an attempt to accurately predict what will happen when the picks start coming in for real on Apr. 27. That’s impossible. These mock drafts are meant to be a fun way to introduce fans to a wide variety of NFL prospects. So please, enjoy.
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NO. 9: JALEN CARTER - DEFENSIVE TACKLE - GEORGIA
There’s no denying there are red flags surrounding Carter, but the fact of the matter is he is still one of the most talented players in this year’s draft class. Someone will take a chance on him in the first round, and if he’s still on the board when the Bears are on the clock, Poles will have to seriously consider selecting him. On the field, people pay a lot of attention to his interior pass rush, since Carter can win with a wide variety of moves, but he’s no slouch in run defense. Carter has the ability to elevate the entire defensive line single-handedly and could be a star at the premium three-tech position.
NO. 53: JULIUS BRENTS - CORNERBACK - KANSAS STATE
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This is a scheme fit pick for Poles. Brents played well in K-State’s zone defense and displayed the field awareness required to succeed. He’s a heavy hitter and flies downhill if screen passes or runs come his way. Brents also plays a physical brand of football to force incompletions at the point of the catch. Most importantly, he had four interceptions in 2022.
NO. 61: KEEANU BENTON - DEFENSIVE TACKLE - WISCONSIN
If Brents is a scheme fit, then Benton is a culture fit. The name of his game is motor, motor, motor. Benton will fight to shed blocks and pursue the ball until the bitter end, which is exactly what Matt Eberflus wants out of his defenders. He also gives the team some positional versatility, with the ability to play nose or three-tech tech.
NO. 64: JOE TIPPMANN - CENTER - WISCONSIN
Poles goes back to the Badgers to bolster the offensive line just three picks after selecting Benton. If you’re over undersized centers in Chicago, then Tippmann could be your guy. He’s really big, at 6’6”, 313 lbs, but can move surprisingly well for his size. Tippmann is strong when used as the point of attack in the running game, and nimble when asked to kick out in zone schemes. According to PFF, he only surrendered one sack over two seasons as Wisconsin’s starting center, too.
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NO. 103: TYLER STEEN - LEFT TACKLE - ALABAMA
Poles believes he found a middle-round offensive line gem in Braxton Jones last season. He hopes he did it again by selecting Steen to kick off the fourth round this year. Steen has been a quick learner on the offensive line, which the Bears love. He started his college career as a defensive lineman at Vanderbilt, but switched to the offensive line in his sophomore season. Steen was good enough to earn the starting right tackle job right away, then got the promotion to left tackle in his junior season. That was good enough for Steen to transfer to Alabama for his senior season, where he started all 13 games at left tackle. Truly a meteoric rise.
NO. 133: VILIAMI FEHOKO - DEFENSIVE END - SAN JOSE STATE
The Bears beefed up the interior of their defensive line in the first two rounds, and now they add to the edges. Fehoko racked up sacks, and accolades, in the Mountain West. Dating back to 2019, he had 23 sacks, 47 TFLs, 11 passes defended, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was named All-Mountain West First-Team in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and won Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year last year.
NO. 136: DEUCE VAUGHN - RUNNING BACK - KANSAS STATE
Scouts expected a lot from Vaughn last year after he went nuts with 1,872 all-purpose yards and 22 total touchdowns in 2022. But his production took a hit in 2023, even though he saw more opportunities. Draft experts question his ability to pass protect, which is an area of need now that Montgomery is out of town. But those same draft experts say Vaughn can thrive in a zone rushing scheme like the one the Bears use. That big play upside is worth a fifth-round chance for Poles.
NO. 148: CHANDLER ZAVALA - GUARD - NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Whether or not Cody Whitehair sticks around in 2023, the Bears need to start looking for their left guard of the future. Zavala gets a chance to prove himself since he’s a powerful run blocker. NC State used a lot of zone rushing schemes and was often the key blocker in those scenarios. He should transition well to what the Bears want to accomplish in their own run game.
NO. 218: WILL MALLORY - TIGHT END - MIAMI
Mallory is not the best blocking tight end, but that’s not what the Bears need him to do. They’re bringing him to Chicago for his pass-catching ability and the chance to be a threat in two tight-end sets alongside Cole Kmet. In five years at the U, Mallory caught 115 passes for 1,544 yards and 14 touchdowns.
NO. 258: HUNTER LUEPKE - FULLBACK - NORTH DAKOTA STATE
The Bears are one of the few teams in the NFL who use a true fullback, and they use the second-to-last pick in the draft to see what Luepke can do in their summer program. He has some experience blocking in zone schemes, which is important, but the Bears use a draft pick on him because of his nose for the endzone. Over the last three seasons, Luepke scored 23 touchdowns.
