Alabama's Will Anderson Jr. Eyes Bears in Draft: 'They're on to Something Special'

The Chicago Bears are entering a new stage of their rebuild with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and the most cap space in the league, and one of the players who could hear his name called with that top choice likes what general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus are building ahead of their second season together.

"The culture is great there," Alabama linebacker prospect Will Anderson Jr. said Wednesday, per Chris Emma of 670 The Score. "I can tell they're on to something special."

Emma noted Anderson met with the team and watched film this week as part of the NFL Scouting Combine.

The Bears are in something of a unique situation with that top pick, as they already have a franchise quarterback in place in Justin Fields and could look to trade down and accumulate more draft capital.

They can't move too far down if they want to pick Anderson, as he figures to be one of the first players chosen on draft day. Yet the Houston Texans at No. 2 overall and the Indianapolis Colts at No. 4 overall could both be in the market for a quarterback, giving the Bears a potential chance to stay in the top five even with a trade.

For his part, Anderson would love to go No. 1 overall.

"It would mean a lot," he said. "All my hard work paying off. Just to have that spot, it's big time. I'd be really appreciative of that opportunity."

B/R's NFL Scouting Department projected Anderson as the No. 5 overall pick and the second non-quarterback selected in a mock draft last month.

However, the first non-quarterback in that mock draft was Georgia's Jalen Carter, who is no longer a surefire top selection after the Athens-Clarke County Police Department issued an arrest warrant for him on Wednesday for misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing.

The charges stem from the January car crash that killed Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy.

It is another factor for Chicago and all other teams to consider leading up to the draft, but the Bears may have already seen Anderson as the top defensive prospect. After all, he was a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, two-time consensus All-American and two-time Bronko Nagurski Award winner during his dominant career with the Crimson Tide.

And he apparently likes what he sees from the Bears as well.