Gervon Dexter is the key to Chicago Bears’ 2023 NFL draft class

When Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles passed on Jalen Carter in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, he sent a clear message to the fanbase and the rest of the league: the Bears value character over upside.

And while that’s an admirable stance for Poles to take, general managers who field a team of losing good guys aren’t general managers for long.

The Bears’ 2023 draft class has a chance to be critical in the team’s rebuilding efforts. Poles selected a plug-and-play right tackle in Darnell Wright in Round 1, but the first of his two second-rounders could dictate how favorably this class is viewed: Florida defensive lineman Gervon Dexter.

Even if it’s unfair, he’ll be compared to Carter for a long time.

For the casual NFL Draft fan, Dexter was a surprising pick. He didn’t dominate the stat sheet and wasn’t a consensus All-American. Dexter’s selection was considered a bit of a reach at the time.

But none of that matters now. Training camp is a little over one month away, and Dexter’s role on the defensive line will be significant. He isn’t expected to begin the 2023 season as a starter, but he flashed dominant traits throughout the offseason. At some point, his time will come.

“He’s going to be a force in this league. I really do believe that,” Bears defensive lineman Justin Jones said of Dexter during the Chicago Bears” mandatory minicamp. “I haven’t seen anything like him in a very long time, and I don’t want to put him in a box with anybody else but the closest person I can see him as is like a leaner Linval Joseph.”

The biggest knock against Gervon Dexter was his lack of consistent explosion coming out of his stance during his time as a Florida Gator. But his traits were hidden by his responsibilities in Florida’s defensive scheme.

That won’t be the case with the Bears.

“He’s really learning how to take off,” Eberflus said. “At Florida, he was more of a two-gap guy. So he was more square, moving with the offensive linemen not moving off the movement and the ball in take-off position. He’s working on that. We elongated his stance a little bit to help him do that. We’ve moved him around a little bit. He’s playing nose. He’s playing three. We’ve moved him around some there.

“What I like most about him is his hustle. Man he hustles. He’s got his track shoes on and he is running out there, which is great to see from a guy who is [6-foot-6, 313 pounds].”

Dexter’s role with the Bears, as Eberflus suggested, is still somewhat undefined. He’s a freakish blend of size, power, and burst. It’s fair to assume that Chicago’s coaches don’t know exactly where he’ll fit on the defensive line. But once the pads go on, that’ll change.

If Dexter becomes a more productive pro than Carter, or even if Dexter is viewed similarly as a player, Poles” decision to pass on Carter will be considered a stroke of genius, especially if Wright is a lockdown right tackle as a rookie.

It’s a lot of ifs that need to be answered. And that’s up to Gervon Dexter. And it’s why he can make the Chicago Bears’ 2023 draft class special.