Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter are two of the players kicked around as the potential No. 1 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. But NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks, a former scout in the league, went a different direction by tapping the Alabama edge rusher. Will Anderson as the top choice for the Chicago Bears.
“Head coach Matt Eberflus needs a disruptive edge rusher to make his version of the Tampa 2 defense work,” Brooks wrote.
Anderson received more No. 1 buzz before the season, as many considered him the top talent in college football. And while some of that buzz slowed down, it’s important to note two things. First, with the Bears landing the top pick instead of the Houston Texans, Young makes less sense — the Bears already have a young quarterback in Justin Fields, the No. 11 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Second, it’s not like Anderson had a poor 2022. Playing in 13 games — two fewer than his breakout sophomore season, one of the best from an edge rusher in college football history — Anderson finished with 51 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. and even returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown.
That alone would have been enough to make Anderson a top edge prospect in the draft. But the former five-star prospect – 247Sports ranked Anderson higher than the industry consensus as the No. 5 overall player, and the No. 1 weak-side defensive end in the 2020 recruiting class — has a longer résumé.
After arriving at Alabama from Hampton (Ga.)’s Dutchtown High School, Anderson played in 13 games in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, making 52 stops and showing off his playmaking ability with 52 tackles, 10.5 tackles in the backfield and seven sacks.
That led into Anderson’s sophomore season where his ridiculous production led to him finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting, a mark that might have been too low.
After all, here’s what Anderson did: 101 tackles, 31.0 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks in 15 games. Both Anderson’s tackles for loss and sack totals led the country, with Anderson winning the Bronco Naguski Trophy and finishing as a unanimous All-American, honors Anderson repeated this year as a junior.
Anderson finished his Alabama career with a national championship (2020), two first-team All-SEC nods (2021, 2022), one second-team All-SEC selection (2020), a Cotton Bowl Classic MVP award (2021) and he added the Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Lott Trophy this year.
Anderson was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons as well.
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With the Bears having the No. 1 pick, Chicago seems likely to either try to trade out of that spot with a quarterback-needy team or to take either Anderson or Carter in an attempt to add more on the defensive side of the ball.