NFL Exec Predicts What Ryan Poles Will Do With The #1 Pick

The discussions have already begun, and they won't let up for the next several months. Thanks to an insane series of circumstances, GM Ryan Poles now holds the #1 overall pick in the upcoming 2023 draft. It is the first time the Chicago Bears have sat in this position since 1947. There is tons of work to do. Evaluations of the incoming class started long ago, but they will pick up steam heading into February, March, and April. This is easily the most critical decision Poles will likely make in his tenure as GM. He can't afford to screw it up.

Central to this debate are two factors. Whether the Bears trade the pick and who they select if they don't. Dealing it makes plenty of sense. This team has boatloads of roster holes to fill. Adding extra selections by moving down is logical. At the same time, doing so would force them to pass on the top non-quarterback prospects in the class. Most agree that is Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson and Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune spoke to an NFL executive about them. While passing on Carter might not be as difficult as you'd think, it would be different with Anderson.

He has a chance to be a legitimate franchise-altering player.

“You can argue both (Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson and Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter) are more talented,” a college scouting director told me. “Hutchinson’s calling card was his effort and his motor and all that stuff. He was a shorter-arm guy; there’s going to be some limitations. And then Walker was a huge projection. You’re drafting the athlete. When I went there, I’m like, ‘Is he a five-technique? Is he an outside linebacker?’ Ton of talent but a ton of projection.

“The two guys this year, you know exactly what they are. Jalen Carter is as talented of a human being as you will find. The problem is that he’s not a character guy and there is a major bust factor with D-linemen that don’t have great character. There’s risk there but a lot of teams are willing to take it.

“Will Anderson is not like a (Nick) Bosa or a Chase Young in terms of his get-off or his bend. He is just an ass kicker. He is a fighter. He’s tougher than hell. He is the alpha in a locker room that is all alphas. He’s the lead dog.

“They’re all different. These two guys, I think it’s a little clearer than last year in those top two defensive guys. This year has got three quarterbacks. That is the rub there.”

Ryan Poles may have a hard time passing on Anderson.

The Bears had arguably their worst pass rush in franchise history this season. They finished with only 20 sacks. A fifth of them came from their rookie safety Jaquan Brisker. That should tell you how bad their defensive line was. It was especially true at defensive end where Trevis Gipson, Dominique Robinson, and Al-Quadin Muhammad all disappointed. Anderson would be somebody that could flip the script from the moment he walked into the building. He has that kind of talent and that kind of presence.

It reflects in his production. He finished college with 34.5 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss. The guy lived in the opposing backfield his entire career. Ryan Poles said he wants more violence up front for the Bears. Anderson embodies that and more. It might prove nearly impossible to pass on such an opportunity, even if other teams make serious offers to trade for that pick. The decision will be a tough one. Whatever it ends up being, it likely won't please everybody. Poles has to make sure it ends up being the right one.