Back of Interest to Bears Makes Key Senior Bowl Plays

North Carolina's Michael Carter plays big role in Nationals' 27-24 win at Senior Bowl with TD and 60 rushing yards

The Bears and every other NFL team looking for a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft had to go without seeing what Mac Jones could do in Saturday's Senior Bowl outside of the familiar settings of his Alabama offense.

An ankle injury Jones suffered Thursday prevented him from playing Saturday but scouts did get a look at plenty of other potential draft picks in a 27-24 win by the National team over the American team.

One of the players the Bears were reported to have talked to at the Senior Bowl played a big part in the National's comeback win. This was running back Michael Carter of North Carolina.

The 5-foot-7, 202-pound Carter drove straight ahead in a rugby-style scrum for a 12-yard touchdown with 44 seconds left in the third quarter to put the National team up for good, 20-16. He also broke a 27-yard run early by shrugging off a tackle at the line of scrimmage and then scampering to the sidelines.

Carter finished with 60 yards rushing on eight carries and caught two passes for 15 yards. He had averaged 8.0 yards a carry during the regular season.

Carter told Bear Report's Zack Pearson he had talked to the Bears during practice leading up to the game. Carter was voted the top running back during practices by defensive players who faced him.

Carter's fit would be a dual one with the Bears. Next season they may need someone who can play the role Tarik Cohen has as a third-down back or changeup type with speed out of the backfield. Cohen's torn ACL was suffered at the end of September and the Bears can't be certain he'll be ready for the season, although the timeline they are going by suggests he will be. They also simply need another back because David Montgomery had to haul almost all of the load in 2020 due to Cohen's injury and the lack of an experienced backup on the roster.

The two quarterbacks who played for the National team with Jones gone took advantage of the opportunity for extended time after they had failed to get their team to the end zone in the first half.

Texa A&M's Kellen Mond threw two third-quarter TD passes and both ran in a two-point conversion and threw for one. His TD throws went for 15 yards to Clemson's Amari Rodgers and 14 yards to Tennessee's Josh Palmer.

Mond was named the game's MVP after completing 13 of 25 for 173 yards and the two TDs.

Jamie Newman of Wake Forest was 10 of 14 for 118 yards with a TD and interception in his first action since opting out of what would have been a senior transfer year at Georgia.

Jones' injury isn't expected to be a factor going forward with pro days toward the April 2021 NFL Draft.

My ankle was still stinging a little bit," Jones told NFL Network. "I didn't want to take any big risks."

Other players Pearson reported the Bears spoke with during the week at the Senior Bowl were wide receiver Tylan Wallace of Oklahoma State, and offensive linemen Dillon Radunz of North Dakota State and Robert Jones of Middle Tennessee State.

Radunz, the left tackle who blocks for projected first-round quarterback Trey Lance, was named the top practice player at the game in a vote of players.

Here is the current pro day schedule with more yet to be added. There is no NFL scouting combine this year.

Pro Day Schedule

Auburn: Thursday, March 18  

Boston College: Friday, March 26  

Brigham Young: Friday, March 26 

Buffalo: March 18 

Central Michigan: Tuesday, March 23  

Florida: Wednesday, March 31  

Florida State: Monday, March 22 

Georgia Tech: Thursday, March 18  

Louisiana Tech: Thursday, March 18  

Louisville: Tuesday, March 30 

Memphis: Friday, March 19  

Miami: Monday, March 29 

Michigan: Friday, March 26  

Michigan State: Wednesday, March 24 

Nebraska: Tuesday, April 6  

North Carolina: Thursday, April 1  

South Carolina: Wednesday, March 24  

Virginia Tech: Friday, March 26 

Washington: Tuesday, March 30  

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