Poles: Bears WILL Bring In Jalen Carter and Meet with Him

On Thursday, news broke regarding Carter's legal situation. With the case involving a teammate of his dying in a crash, Carter was at the center of speculation. According to the report, Carter has pled no contest, struck a deal, and will not face jail time. With that in mind, it appears the Bears are content with continuing their evaluation of the player. 

That said, just because the Bears will meet with Carter doesn't mean they will draft him. If he does fall to No. 9, there will certainly be consideration. However, he's likely to go higher now that he has been cleared of any jail time. 

Ryan Poles and co. are major proponents of culture and fit. Poles elaborated on Thursday that scheme, fit, and value were criteria entering free agency. There is no doubt that the same philosophy applies to the draft process as well. If Carter comes in and doesn't impress the Bears from a character standpoint, they'll likely pass on the Georgia product for sake of the culture. 

Carter was widely considered a top-five pick in the upcoming draft. However, even though he's been cleared of jail time, there is a good chance the big defensive tackle slips a little bit in the draft. If he does, and the Bears see him as a fit, he might still end up in Chicago despite the Bears falling back to No. 9 in the draft.