Chicago Bears NFL Draft Target: Abdul Carter

Kirby Lee - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 5 hours ago

With a few days until the NFL Draft is again the center of attention, the Chicago Bears are about to be on the clock as they are looking to add their next great player. Looking at how things could fall in the first round, it does appear that Cam Ward and Travis Hunter are the consensus options to go No. 1 or No. 2, depending on what mock draft you look at.

However, there is a player who may have something to say about that, as several scouts have raved about his potential, claiming he may have the highest upside of anyone in this year's class. That player is Penn State EDGE rusher Abdul Carter, who is set to take the league by storm. He was mentioned as a top-five to even top-three pick in virtually every mock draft; it seems strange to discuss him with the Bears.

Given the recent reports that have been surfacing, Carter is suddenly becoming a potential trade option for the Bears, as they could be in a position to trade up for him. I know what most of you are thinking. How would the Bears even be able to trade for him unless they move into the top three? For some reason, Carter is starting to get the Dallas Turner vibes from last season as a top-pick-worthy player, but for whatever reason, he is seeing his stock fall leading into the draft.

That may concern some fans, but that isn't something that the Bears or anyone else should be worried about, as Carter is still one heck of a player. You pair him with Montez Sweat on the defense, and that pass rush suddenly becomes an elite unit, which will only make their already elite secondary that much better.

The 6-3, 259-pounder Carter is a good size for an EDGE player and is one of the more athletic players in this class. He is coming off a season where he logged a career-best 12 sacks and finished his college career with 23 sacks. The 23 sacks are one thing, but the 104 tackles to go with that also stand out, as he has shown the ability to be a menace no matter who has the ball and where the play is going.

Carter is the type of player that every team could use, as he is one of those players that offensive coordinators have to account for on every play. While the stats are one thing, the athletic side of his game has scouts so high on his potential that he is graded out as the best EDGE player in this draft, and it's not even close.

Athletic talent or not, will only get you so far at the next level, but Carter has the drive to make that athletic talent even 10 times better, as you can't coach work ethic. He’s always first out and first into contact after the snap but can dart into gaps or around blocks as a penetrator, which is something the Bears used to have in guys like Roquan Smith and Brian Urlacher back when their defense was considered the top defense in the game.

His overall skill set allows him to get after the quarterback with various moves, but his motor and drive make him look like a rabid dog off the line, as his intensity from play to play is tough for the opposition to match. Carter’s explosiveness, hunger, and body control should have him on track to become a highly productive 3-4 rush linebacker with Pro Bowl talent.

That alone is worth noting, as the Bears have been more of a 4-3 team in the past instead of 3-4. Still, with Dennis Allen as the defensive coordinator and knowing his success, Carter is someone that Allen would have a ton of fun with, as he could move him around to create match problems on every play.

When it comes to player comparisons, a young Micah Parsons comes to mind, but that is mainly because they went to the same school. Going beyond that, Clay Matthews is a name that comes to mind as Carter plays with a similar intensity level. You could also throw Jonathan Greenard's name on that list, as that is the type of player Carter has the best chance of becoming.