Chicago Bears: 7-Round 2018 mock draft in late January

Round 5: Lorenzo Carter, OLB, Georgia (6-6, 245 pounds)

The Bears could have another Bulldog in their linebacker corps. Lorenzo Carter could play opposite of Leonard Floyd if the front office decides to part ways with Pernell McPhee. If the Bears cut McPhee, they save over $7 million. The Bears could keep McPhee and groom Carter to replace him.

Carter’s athleticism allows him to get to the quarterback and force him to make a decision before he wants to, thus resulting in a mistake. Pairing him with Floyd gives the Bears an incredibly athletic outside linebacker duo that causes a lot of mismatches. He demands attention which frees up Floyd to wreak havoc. If both guys get attention, that helps the defensive line. At any rate, the front seven’s athleticism and speed help the secondary improve.

Against the run, Carter does a good job closing the edge. That forces the running back to go inside where there is a lot of help. Carter does need to work on his tackling technique. In college, he depended on his strength too much. He’ll have to wrap up better as the ball carriers are stronger on the next level.

Additionally, Carter needs to fine tune his pass rushing skills. He depends on his speed to get past blockers, but in the NFL, just like with strength, the speed is incredible. He needs to come up with some more moves to get to the quarterback.

This is something I had to think about. The Bears may go with the pass rusher in the first round. Harold Landry or Arden Key may be choices if they go the first round. If they go later, Carter is a good choice.