NFL mock draft: 3 teams that could select Jalen Carter in the Top 10

Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is everything an NFL team would want out of a top-five pick.

If Jalen Carter makes it past the fifth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, something went horribly wrong.

The All-American defensive tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs projects as a sure-fire, top-five pick this spring. Though he could theoretically drop a few spots after that, one would think he will be one of the first four players taken, alongside Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Crimson Tide defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. This is not that hard, y’all!

Here are three NFL teams who would make a ton of sense to pick Carter near the top of the draft.

NFL mock draft: 3 teams that should draft Georgia superstar DT Jalen Carter high

The Chicago Bears are a solid fit for Jalen Carter, but probably not at No. 1 overall

Thanks to the Indianapolis Colts being nothing more than a carcass at this point of the season, it is the Chicago Bears who have the No. 1 overall pick, and not the Houston Texans. Is the majestically bearded Lovie Smith a sleeper agent? It really does not matter, as Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus have everyone’s attention heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. Could they take Carter No. 1 overall?

Yes, they could, but nobody is expecting them to do so. In all likelihood, Chicago will do one of two things with the No. 1 overall pick: Trade it to a quarterback-desperate team to gain even more draft capital or take Anderson No. 1 overall out of Alabama. Carter is a borderline candidate to go No. 1 overall at this point of the draft process, but Anderson, Stroud and Young have better cases.

However, with teams like the Texans, Colts, Las Vegas Raiders and even the Seattle Seahawks picking high, Chicago could be in position to trade back and still take Carter somewhere in the No. 2 to No. 5 range anyway. To get a potential Pro Bowler in the middle of your defensive line, as well as other picks to build a team around Justin Fields, there are far worse options for the Bears here.

Carter could go to the Bears, but Chicago would definitely have to trade back to make this happen.