2023 NFL Draft: ESPN compares Georgia DL Jalen Carter to Jets’ Quinnen Williams

The Chicago Bears’ 2023 NFL Draft conversation is expected to center around two players throughout the winter months, assuming the team ends up with the second or third overall pick: Alabama’s Will Anders Jr. and Georgia’s Jalen Carter.

Carter’s Bulldogs advanced to the College Football Championship in thrilling fashion with their win over Ohio State Saturday night in a game that Carter was invisible. He didn’t make many plays and didn’t look like a premier prospect worthy of a top-five pick.

And that’s why scouts never write up a player after watching just one game. Carter’s body of work in 2022 is top-five worthy, even if his engine doesn’t burn hot all the time.

According to ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid, Carter’s NFL upside is elite. He compared him to Jets Pro Bowler, Quinnen Williams.

“He’s exactly like Quinnen Williams when he was coming out of Alabama,” Reid said of Carter. “He just understands how to get to the quarterback. Really strong hands, double-team, single-team, it really doesn’t matter — he’s able to penetrate and get to the quarterback. He’s not a guy that’s a space eater that’s going to clog the first level. He’s more of a get-up-the-field right now and just penetrate and destroy the line of scrimmage. Natural as a pass-rusher, really strong hands, already shows plenty of moves as a pass-rusher.”

Jalen Carter may be better fit for Bears, but Will Anderson’s pass-rush upside is elite

Carter would fill the all-important three-technique in Bears coach Matt Eberflus’ defense. It’s a role that Eberflus has made very clear is the most important in his scheme. He’s called it the engine that makes everything go.

Still, Jalen Carter can’t end the 2022 season with back-to-back duds on the national stage. Especially not with Will Anderson jockeying for the Bears’ attention. Anderson’s film is littered with elite pass-rush skills and game-wrecking abilities. His fit in Chicago’s defense may not be as ideal as Carter’s, but his value as a pass-rush artist could make him more valuable.

Much will depend on where the Chicago Bears pick in April’s first round. If they sneak an upset victory over the Lions or Vikings in the next two games, they could fall outside the top-five picks, and the debate over Carter and Anderson will be moot.