I don’t give out grades on drafts the week after it’s over because that’s just silly and there are plenty of guys out there doing that, if you want a grade check out the many articles online. I’ll give my thoughts and analysis for each team and it’s broken down by division. I’m starting with the NFC North because I have a number of readers who are fans of the Bears and Packers so here you go.
2017 NFC North Draft Review
Chicago Bears
- Mitchell Trubisky QB North Carolina
- Adam Shaheen TE Ashland
- Eddie Jackson SS Alabama
- Tarik Cohen RB North Carolina A&T
- Jordan Morgan OG Kutztown
Immediate Impact: ??????
Shaheen is the only one with half a chance to make a difference and he’s pretty raw.
Best Value: ???????
Yeah, I got nothing.
Sleeper: SS Eddie Jackson
I really like Jackson as a potential starter but he’s had two years of injuries to overcome. He could legitimately become the starting SS for the Bears this year and I wouldn’t be surprised but that’s no sure thing. His injury history makes him a question mark which is why he was a 4th round pick not a 2nd round pick.
Overall Analysis
I hope whoever takes over as the next coach and GM of the Bears likes Trubisky as much as Ryan Pace apparently did. The ridiculous overpay to move up one spot is only half the problem; the other half is that Trubisky is no sure thing. Add in the fact that the Bears spent money on Glennon and have said he’s the starter next season makes the whole situation mindboggling. Shaheen has potential but he needs some time to adjust coming from Ashland to the NFL. This draft isn’t going to help turn around the fortunes of the Bears fast enough to save Pace and Fox when things go really bad next season. Waiting until their last pick to grab an offensive lineman that isn’t likely to help much right away is also a seriously questionable move. Glennon isn’t exactly what you would call “fleet-of-foot” and with Charles Leno set to be his LT Trubisky may play sooner than you think.
Detroit Lions
- Jarrad Davis ILB Florida
- Teez Tabor CB Florida
- Kenny Golladay WR Northern Illinois
- Jalen Reeves-Maybin OLB Tennessee
- Michael Roberts TE Toledo
- Jamal Agnew CB San Diego
- Jeremiah Ledbetter DT Arkansas
- Brad Kaaya QB Miami
- Pat O’Connor DE Eastern Michigan
Immediate Impact: LB Jarrad Davis
All of the top interior LBs in this draft came with question marks and the Lions decided to go with the guy with the health issues instead of going with Reuben Foster the guy with the character issues. If Davis stays healthy he’s arguably the best LB on the Lions’ roster. He can team with Tahir Whitehead as the three-down LBs but he’s a bit of a gamble health wise.
Best Value: QB Brad Kaaya
Kaaya has plenty of holes in his game but he’s got the stature and the physical ability to be a starter in the NFL and they got him in the sixth round. He’s not going to threaten Matthew Stafford’s job but if they can develop him he could be a very good backup QB and potentially a trade chip in the future.
Sleeper: TE Michael Roberts
Roberts only played one season of football at Toledo because he was a basketball player before that, sound familiar? He had 16 TDs last year in his one year so I think he’s filled with potential. Eric Ebron has been solid but he’s coming up on free agency and the Lions may not want to spend a lot to keep him. Roberts could certainly become a major red zone threat and Stafford has experience using big, physical receivers in the red zone before.
Overall Analysis
The Davis pick scares me simply because he gets hurt a lot and the Lions just dumped a talented LB DeAndre Levy because he got hurt a lot. Reuben Foster has character questions but he would have been a more dynamic pick. Teez Tabor is the CB who couldn’t run, he was slow at the combine and then even slower at his pro day workout. Sometimes you can discount that if you see field speed on tape but the one major question on Tabor’s tape is his speed. The one thing you don’t want to do when facing Aaron Rodgers is have a slow CB trying to cover his WRs. The five guys in the middle of this class; Golladay, Reeves-Maybin, Roberts, Agnew and Ledbetter can all add depth and have potential to contribute but none are pushing the Lions past the Packers. Kaaya was too good of value to pass up in round six and O’Connor is solid roll of the dice on a guy that could be a nice situational pass rusher.
Green Bay Packers
- Kevin King CB Washington
- Josh Jones SS North Carolina St.
- Montravius Adams DT Auburn
- Vince Biegel OLB Wisconsin
- Jamaal Williams RB BYU
- DeAngelo Yancey WR Purdue
- Aaron Jones RB Texas-El Paso
- Kofi Amichia OG South Florida
- Devante Mays RB Utah St.
- Malachi Dupre WR LSU
Immediate Impact: CB Kevin King, DT Montravius Adams
King is a tall, rangy CB prospect that was overshadowed at Washington by CB Sidney Jones and S Budda Baker in his own secondary. King shouldn’t have a problem overtaking guys like Damarious Randall and Devon House to become a starter right out of the gate. Adams is going to get playing time out of need because he can play the NT position that is pretty thin at the moment. He won’t be a flashy player but he will make the lives of the guys around him a lot easier. Adams is a beast of a man and Dom Capers should be just the coach to motivate him.
Best Value: LB Vince Biegel
Biegel is a good looking OLB prospect that fills a need for Packers after losing Datone Jones and Julius Peppers in free agency. Biegel isn’t a “wow” athlete but he’s better than you think when he’s on the field. He will contribute a lot next season and that’s pretty good considering he was a 4th round pick.
Sleeper: RB Jamaal Williams
The RB class was deep which is why an accomplished guy like Williams was available in the 4th round. He’s BYU’s all-time leading rusher and he’s a well-built back at 6’0 212 lbs. No offense to Ty Montgomery and the job he did last year after moving from WR to RB but Williams is a RB by trade and I think he can win the starting RB job coming out of camp.
Overall Analysis
King, Adams, Biegel and Williams will all play big roles for this team next season. SS Josh Jones may have to wait a year until Morgan Burnett is a free agent but he gives the Packers a reason to not re-sign Burnett. He’s a talented prospect who should fill in some of what Micah Hyde did as the third safety last year before he left in free agency. Clearly the Packers aren’t all that happy with their RB depth chart as they not only grabbed Williams but they took two other RBs, Aaron Jones and Devante Mays. Neither of these two are going to push for the starting job but they add depth to a position that was sorely lacking it. I like the fact they added a couple of athletic WRs to the mix in DeAngelo Yancey and Malachi Dupre, maybe neither one makes the team but they will increase the competition at the bottom of the WR depth chart. I’m not going to pretend to know who Kofi Amichia is but maybe he adds depth behind newly signed old man Jahri Evans.
Minnesota Vikings
- Dalvin Cook RB Florida St.
- Pat Elflein G/C Ohio St.
- Jaleel Johnson DT Iowa
- Ben Gedeon ILB Michigan
- Rodney Adams WR South Florida
- Danny Isidora OG Miami
- Bucky Hodges TE Virginia Tech
- Stacy Coley WR Miami
- Ifeadi Odenigbo DE Northwestern
- Elijah Lee OLB Kansas St.
- Jack Tocho CB North Carolina St.
Immediate Impact: RB Dalvin Cook, G/C Pat Elflein, DT Jaleel Johnson
No offense to holdover Jerick McKinnon or newly signed Latavius Murray but it’s only a matter of time before Cook takes over the starting RB job. And that time may come during training camp. Murray is injury prone and McKinnon is a change-of-pace type of guy, Cook is a special talent. He was only available because of some maturity and off-the-field concerns. The interior of the Vikings offensive line was just put on notice, Elflein is a versatile interior OL and he will be starting at one the spots. My guess is he takes the center job right away because he’s more talented than any center on the roster. Jaleel Johnson slides into a position of need. Sharrif Floyd had a major knee injury last season that could end his career and the Vikings need someone to slot in next to Linval Joseph. Johnson is beast who can eat up blockers as well as disrupt the pocket, it will be hard to keep him off the field.
Best Value: RB Dalvin Cook
I’m simply amazed Cook fell to the second round. He’s a supreme talent and the future of the position for the Vikings, oh and he’s probably the present for the position too.
Sleeper: TE Bucky Hodges
The Vikings have Kyle Rudolph at TE but that’s about it. They are also not exactly teeming with talent at WR outside of Stefon Diggs. Hodges isn’t your in-line blocking TE but he can stretch the field in the passing game and is a very good athlete. He will add a dimension to the offense in two-TE sets and give Sam Bradford another weapon in the middle of the field.
Overall Analysis
For a team that traded away its first-round draft pick last year for Sam Bradford the Vikings had a heck of a draft. Cook is a first-round talent they got in the second round. Elflein and Johnson fill in major areas of need on the lines. LB Ben Gedeon is a nice addition that helps replace retired LB Chad Greenway and don’t be surprised if he’s starting alongside Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr. Rodney Adams has a chance to be what Cordarrelle Patterson was supposed to be as a gadget-play receiver and returner. Hodges has a chance to really add to the offense. OG Danny Isidora can add depth to an interior offensive line that can use it. Coley, Odenigbo, Lee and Tocho will have to make their mark on special teams to make the Vikings roster.
The Hott Read 