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Jalen Carter arrest throws Bears a hittable curve

Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter (88) is rated the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 draft by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper.

You thought this was going to be easy?

The Bears came into the NFL Scouting Combine in a terrific position to jump-start their rebuild under general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus after parlaying a 3-14 season into the No. 1 overall draft pick.

For a draft without a Peyton Manning or even an Andrew Luck at the top, the Bears were in a fortuitous situation, with two potentially generational defensive line prospects in Georgia’s Jalen Carter and Alabama’s Will Anderson and at least one quarterback in Alabama’s Bryce Young who could elicit the kind of frenzy that could create a bidding war — or at least a bidding skirmish — for the No.