Rick Spielman explains why Jalen Carter should be No. 1 overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft

Former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman recently joined the “With the First Pick” podcast to conduct a mock draft of the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. Spielman made the first selection of the mock draft, and with the Chicago Bears’ first overall pick selected Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter.

“I had a choice between Will Anderson, the linebacker pass rusher from Alabama, and Jalen Carter, the three-technique from Georgia, and I went with Carter. And the reason I went with Carter, they [Chicago Bears] need players all over the place, but they need definitely on the defensive side of the ball,” Spielman said.

There’s no question that the Bears could use all the help they can get following their 3-14 season and if they’re looking to make the most of their pick physically, Carter may be their guy towering at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds. He has all of the physical tools you’d want for a defensive tackle, but Spielman’s reasoning behind him being the top pick has more to do with the depth of talent at his position and others.

“And to me when you look at the depth of this draft I think there are some very good pass rushers, and I think we’re going to see some good pass rushers down at the Senior Bowl that may not be here in the first round but there’s a lot of depth,” Spielman said.

Will Anderson is joined by players like Clemson‘s Myles Murphy, LSU‘s BJ Ojulari, and even Carter’s teammate Nolan Smith in a class of edge rushers that have a lot of potential. But Carter is in more of a league of his own regarding what he brings to the table at a position that’s not easy to find generational talent at.

“And the hardest position to fill and find has been that that dominant, as you want to call under tackle or three-technique,” Spielman explained. “So with the first pick, no pun intended on our podcast here, I ended up going with Jalen Carter the defensive tackle from Georgia.”

Carter battled injuries for the majority of last season, but still made his presence felt in his limited snaps helping lead the Bulldogs to a second straight National Championship. He most notably showed what he’s capable of in their game versus Tennessee where he wreaked havoc, recording a sack and forcing two fumbles from his interior defensive line spot.

Only time will tell if Carter’s name will be the first one called in this year’s NFL Draft, which kicks off in Las Vegas on April 28.