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Mel Kiper Jr. Declares 1 Prospect The Best Player In NFL Draft

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February 28, 2023

(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears have three options with the first-overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

They could either use that pick to land Bryce Young out of Alabama and trade Justin Fields — which seems unlikely at this point — trade down to gather more picks and build around Fields — perhaps the safest choice — or use that pick to land a potential generational player.

Georgia star DT Jalen Carter continues to turn heads among NFL scouts, and the more film they watch, the more they seem to think that he’s the best player in the NFL Draft class.

At least, that’s what ESPN Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. seems to think, as he recently made a case for him being just what the Bears’ shaky interior defense needs right now:

“I think he’s the best player in this Draft,” Kiper said on Get Up. “It’s not a good Draft, but he’s the no. 1 guy on the board right now. Injured in September, came back healthy, was wreaking havoc late; he was the dominant figure at 2021 with that talented Georgia Bulldog defense; Jalen Carter was the guy. The Bears need him.”

.@MelKiperESPN believes Jalen Carter is the BEST player in this NFL draft pic.twitter.com/sEX2K3HrOE

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 28, 2023

Of course, the possibility of flipping that pick for more Draft arsenal is quite appealing for a Bears team that needs help in many areas.

However, they do have plenty of cap space and could try and solve their issues in free agency rather than taking a flier on an unproven prospect in a not-so-deep class.

Carter’s combination of instincts, brains, and raw power make him one of the most promising defensive prospects we’ve seen in years, so no one would blame GM Ryan Poles if he decides to stay put and take him first overall.

But we’ve already seen the Chicago Bears make the wrong choice way too many times, so we shouldn’t get our hopes up just yet.

The post Mel Kiper Jr. Declares 1 Prospect The Best Player In NFL Draft appeared first on The Cold Wire.