Overlooked Reason Bears May Feel Confident Taking Jalen Carter
Word has begun filtering out that the Chicago Bears might be more serious about Jalen Carter than people think. Despite the Georgia defensive tackle having a nightmare March that saw him arrested for street racing that resulted in two deaths, then showing up to his pro day nine pounds overweight, there is a growing undercurrent of belief that GM Ryan Poles might still be willing to take him if he slips to the 9th overall spot. Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron reported this recently.
He has since added further details. This information comes from multiple sources. The Bears’ confidence in the idea centers around several factors, including his tape, interviews with the player, and speaking to many people close to him. There was also another name mentioned that is worth noting.
After speaking with several people who I feel are in the know, I believe Ryan Poles’ top option at the ninth pick will be to select Georgia’s Jalen Carter. The Bears have met with Carter twice, they work well with his agent Drew Rosenhaus, and I think that’s the plan if he’s available. I’ve heard the Philadelphia Eagles also love Carter (they have the tenth pick), which I believe is why Rosenhaus and Carter are comfortable only taking meetings with teams in the top ten.
Rosenhaus is one of the most powerful agents in the NFL. What many don’t realize is he’s not a stranger to representing players with perceived character issues. Among his many clients over the years include Terrell Owens, Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski, Chad Johnson, Warren Sapp, and Tyreek Hill. All of those players had question marks coming out of college. All went on to become superstars. Rosenhaus seems to have a talent for identifying such players.
Jalen Carter doesn’t have unfixable issues.
That is the key thing about all of this. His primary concerns center around a questionable work ethic and maturity issues. Both of those problems can be corrected with good coaching and mentorship from the right people. Nobody questions his hustle and intensity during games. He seems to suffer from an Allen Iverson mindset of being indifferent to practice. When you’re that talented, it can happen. That is why you have a coach like Matt Eberflus who can explain the necessity of hard work.
As for Rosenhaus, the Bears have already done some big business with the agent over the past month. He also represents wide receiver D.J. Moore, the centerpiece of Chicago’s trading of the #1 pick to Carolina. So that line of communication is already wide open. Poles has likely heard Rosenhaus’ side of things. While an agent will always talk up his player, the fact is he’s a good judge of football character. He is confident Jalen Carter will make whichever team he lands on very happy.