Bears draft Southern G Ja’Tyre Carter in seventh round at No. 226 overall

The Bears continued trying to fortify their offensive line in the late rounds of the draft by picking Southern guard Ja’Tyre Carter in the seventh at No. 226 overall.

Carter is the first Southern player to be drafted since defensive back Lenny Williams in 2004.

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected Carter as an average backup and/or special teams player.

The Bears likely are evaluating their options at right guard, where former center Sam Mustipher currently is slated as the starter. They also added ex-Viking Dakota Dozier in free agency.

Here’s the Bears’ current class and remaining picks:

Second round, No. 39: Washington CB Kyler Gordon
Second round, No. 48: Penn State S Jaquan Brisker
Third round, No. 71: Tennessee WR Velus Jones
Fifth round, No. 168: Southern Utah OT Braxton Jones
Fifth round, No. 174: Miami (Ohio) DE Dominique Robinson
Sixth round, No. 186: San Diego State OT Zach Thomas
Sixth round, No. 203: Baylor RB Trestan Ebner
Sixth round, No. 207: Illinois C Doug Kramer
Seventh round, No. 226: Southern G Ja’Tyre Carter
Seventh round, No. 254
Seventh round, No. 255