With the Chicago Bears victory at Lambeau Field against the Packers to close out their 2024 season on Sunday, their first round draft choice in April was officially cemented. The franchise will be selecting tenth overall in the first round, while holding picks 41 and 42 overall in the the second round.
There is a great chance for the Chicago Bears to improve up front on both sides of the ball with these picks, but they may need to move up if they want to get a real game-changing edge rusher.
The Chicago Bears could have to move up if that want to draft Abdul Carter
A mock draft through The Athletic has the Chicago Bears trading up from the tenth pick to sixth overall with the Las Vegas Raiders to select the dominant edge rusher from Penn State. Carter measures out at 6’3, 259 lbs and made the switch from off-ball linebacker to defensive end during his time with the Nittany Lions. His career at Penn State is still going on, as the program advanced to the College Football Playoff Semi-Finals where they will play Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night.
Carter’s insane athleticism is just the beginning of what makes him such an intriguing prospect based on his traits alone. His explosiveness and closing speed standout in a big way, making him a problem for any opposing backfield that stands in his way.
It’s been noted that because of Carter’s lighter frame, his lack of strength can be an issue at times. This along with him still be relatively new to the edge rushing position in general could lead to some concern from front offices across the league. However, his potential along with the success he has had at a high level getting to the quarterback should be enough reason to make him a guaranteed top ten pick.
Carter has 11 sacks, two forced fumbles and 40 solo tackles so far this season at Penn State. He had 4.5 sacks a season ago and 6.5 in his first collegiate season back in 2022. In four games this season, the Philadelphia native collected two sacks. His ability to get to the quarterback throughout his time in college is apparent and it will be huge for any NFL team that picks him up early in April’s draft.
Abdul Carter would pack a punch that the Chicago Bears desperately need
The Chicago Bears pass rush has struggled mightily over the past two seasons. The trade for Montez Sweat has not looked super promising thus far, but he hasn’t had much helped getting to the quarterback. Early rumors last week had the Chicago Bears adding Chase Young in free agency, but a prospect like Carter would be much more beneficial down the road.
All that the Chicago Bears front office has put on the opposite side of Sweat over the last year and a half is Demarcus Walker and a couple of veterans that have rotated in. The pass rush group has been in dire need of consistency for quite some time and Carter would immediately bring that to this defense.
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