NFC North Draft Review

Chicago Bears

• Roquon Smith (8^th, 1^st)   LB   Georgia
• James Daniels (39^th, 2^nd)   C/G   Iowa
• Anthony Miller (51^st, 2^nd)   WR   Memphis
• Joel Iyiebuniwe (115^th, 4^th)   LB   Western Kentucky
• Bilal Nichols (145^th, 5^th)   DL   Delaware
• Kylie Fitts (181^st, 6^th)   OLB   Utah
• Javon Wims (224^th, 7^th)   WR   Georgia

Immediate Impact:  LB Roquon Smith, C/G James Daniels

Smith will line up at ILB next to Danny Trevathan and he’ll be the guy tackling everything in sight.  He brings a speed element like no one else and he would be a solid bet for Defensive Rookie of the Year.  Daniels will be an immediate starter on the inside but whether he lines up at center or guard will depend on Cody Whitehair.  Whitehair is solid at center but it’s Daniels’ natural position so one will be the center and the other the left guard.  Between Whitehair, Daniels and Kyle Long the interior of the Bears offensive line is set for the foreseeable future.

Best Value:  WR Anthony Miller

Miller has first round talent and the only knock against him is his size.  He’s under six feet tall but he’s well built and uses his strength to his advantage.  The Bears signed Allen Robinson to be their #1 WR and Taylor Gabriel to be their speed demon stretching the defense down the field.  Miller is the perfect complement to those two as he will dominate the intermediate area and he gives Mitchell Trubisky a very good trio of WRs.

Sleeper: WR Javon Wims

Wims didn’t light the world on fire but he worked his way up to Georgia from a JUCO and got better every year.  He has great size at 6’3 and he’s got good speed.  After the top three WRs Robinson, Gabriel and Miller the Bears have draft bust Kevin White and not much else.  Wims can make this squad and potentially contribute.

Overall Analysis

Love the top three picks while the other four might have a chance to make the roster.  The LB out of Western Kentucky with the eyechart last name adds depth at the position.  Nichols is big guy from a small school with good athleticism and some poor technique.  If they coach him up he could help the depth behind Hicks and Goldman at DT.  Fitts is a lottery ticket at OLB who has fought injuries and may never really contribute or he could blow up.  I do wonder why they didn’t address OT with an upgrade over RT Bobby Massie needed.  However, Smith, Daniels and Miller give this young Bears team three likely starters on day one, that’s a pretty good draft.

Detroit Lions

• Frank Ragnow (20^th, 1^st)   C   Arkansas
• Kerryon Johnson (43^rd, 2^nd)   RB   Auburn
• Tracy Walker (82^nd, 3^rd)   S   Louisiana-Lafayette
• Da’shawn Hand (114^th, 4^th)   DL   Alabama
• Tyrell Crosby (153^rd, 5^th)   OL   Oregon
• Nick Bawden (237^th, 7^th)   FB   San Diego St.

Immediate Impact:  C Frank Ragnow, RB Kerryon Johnson

If it takes Frank Ragnow longer than a day to unseat the Lions incumbent center Graham Glasgow I might faint.  The Lions didn’t take Ragnow 20^th overall for no reason.  Glasgow can try to win a job at guard but Ragnow will be in the pivot on opening day.  The Lions signed LeGarrette Blount because they had no run game last season.  Now they have Kerryon Johnson to carry the load instead.  Blount is still nice to have around because Johnson gets banged up a lot and he might need some time to adjust.

Best Value: OL Tyrell Crosby

Crosby will likely compete to start at one of the guard spots with Kenny Wiggins and Glasgow but he was actually an OT at Oregon so he’s also insurance against RT Ricky Wagner getting hurt again.  The Lions have virtually no depth behind starters LT Taylor Decker and RT Wagner so Crosby was a really nice pick up in round five especially considering he was a potential 2^nd rounder.

Sleeper:  DL Da’shawn Hand

Hand was the #1 overall recruit in 2014 but he never really lived up to that billing with the Tide.  He possesses rare athletic gifts but he’s never been the most motivated player on the field.  If a coach, like Matt Patricia, can light a fire in him he could be a monster.  For now, he’s a nice base DE who can play DT when needed and he adds depth on the defensive line.

Overall Analysis

The Lions have started to put some emphasis on the offensive line over the past several years and adding Ragnow and Crosby will be good for the offense.  It’s about damn time this team gets a real RB.  Johnson is a very talented back, there were others I liked better but anyone is an improvement for this team and will make Matt Stafford’s life a lot better.  The Lions didn’t have a ton of picks but Hand and Walker add depth on defense.  Showing their new commitment to the running game the Lions grabbed Nick Bawden to play fullback, all he did in college was lead block for the nation’s leading rushers the last two seasons.  Something tells me Matt Stafford would like this draft as much as I do.

Green Bay Packers

• Jaire Alexander (18^th, 1^st)   CB   Louisville
• Josh Jackson (45^th, 2^nd)   CB   Iowa
• Oren Burks (88^th, 3^rd)   LB   Vanderbilt
• J’mon Moore (133^rd, 4^th)   WR   Missouri
• Cole Madison (138^th, 5^th)   OL   Washington St.
• JK Scott (172^nd, 5^th)   P   Alabama
• Marquez Valdes-Scantling (174^th, 5^th)   WR   South Florida
• Equanimeous St. Brown (207^th, 6^th)   WR   Notre Dame
• James Looney (232^nd, 7^th)   DE   California
• Hunter Bradley (239^th, 7^th)   LS   Mississippi St.
• Kendall Donnerson (248^th, 7^th)   OLB   Southeast Missouri

Immediate Impact:  CB Jaire Alexander, CB Josh Jackson

The Packers secondary was pretty bad last year and the only returning CB worth anything in second-year man Kevin King so the Packers doubled up on Alexander and Jackson.  Considering the amount of nickel defense teams play both of these two will seem like starters.  Alexander went first but he’s actually best suited to the nickel role while Jackson has the size and skills to start outside opposite King, this will give the Packers two big CBs on the outside.

Best Value:  CB Josh Jackson

And it’s not even close.  I have no idea how Jackson fell to 45^th overall but the Packers were lucky enough to get a guy many people had pegged in round 1 in the middle of round 2, that’s extreme value.

Sleeper: LB Oren Burks

Burks is a jack-of-all-trades kind of LB.  He could play anywhere and he brings great coverage skills to the position.  With Jake Ryan and Blake Martinez at ILB the Packers are fine but Burks adds another element and great depth.  He will initially excel on special teams but I think he’ll eventually get a lot of playing time on defense and could be a starter in few years.

Overall Analysis

The first three picks are excellent then the team went a little off the rails.  They drafted 3 WRs, Moore, Valdez-Scantling and St. Brown, but I’m not sure any of them make the team as anything more than special teams guys and the Packers aren’t exactly stacked at the position.  I’m also a bit surprised they only took one offensive lineman considering they dealt with quite a few injuries at the position last season.  Cole Madison is a decent prospect but there is a reason Bryan Bulaga turned down a restructured contract, the team doesn’t really have good depth to replace him.  It’s not often you see a team take a punter and a long snapper but when you have 11 picks you might as well take a shot.  Scott and Bradley could become the starters for the team at those positions respectively.

Minnesota Vikings

• Mike Hughes (30^th, 1^st)   CB   Central Florida
• Brian O’Neill (62^nd, 2^nd)   OT   Pittsburgh
• Jalyn Holmes (102^nd, 4^th)   DE   Ohio St.
• Tyler Conklin (157^th, 5^th)   TE   Central Florida
• Daniel Carlson (167^th, 5^th)   K   Auburn
• Colby Gossett (213^th, 6^th)   OG   Appalachian St.
• Ade Aruna (218^th, 6^th)   DE   Tulane
• Devante Downs (225^th, 7^th)   LB   California

Immediate Impact:  OT Brian O’Neill

The Vikings roster doesn’t have many holes they needed to fill in the draft.  The offensive line was one need and while O’Neill wasn’t one of the more well-known names he is likely to be a starter.  I would suggest he should be the starting RT so Mike Remmers can move inside to guard.  That would improve two positions on the line in front of new QB Kirk Cousins and returning RB Dalvin Cook.

Best Value:  O’Neill

Getting a starting OT at #62 overall is pretty solid value.

Sleeper:  DE Jalyn Holmes

Holmes was a bit of a forgotten man on Ohio St.’s ridiculously talented defensive line.  He has a lot of natural ability and while some have speculated that the Vikings took him to guard against Danielle Hunter’s free agency next year I don’t think that’s the case.  Backup DE Brian Robison is 35 and the Vikings need some depth now.  Holmes hasn’t always produced up to his talent level but there are a lot of really good DE’s on this team to learn from and Hunter was in a similar situation when he arrived and the Vikings have gotten the best out of him.  Holmes is all potential at this point, not a lot of production.  If anyone can motivate him to become more than he’s been it’s Mike Zimmer.

Overall Analysis

The Vikings first round pick CB Mike Hughes was a curious choice.  First of all, the Vikings have very good starting CBs in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes.  It seemed possible they drafted Hughes to be the nickel corner but then after the draft they re-signed Terrance Newman.  Newman is 40 years old so he’s not a long-term solution but that makes Hughes the dime guy at best.  Given their needs on the offensive line this was an odd choice.  Also, Hughes comes with some off the field baggage that other CB prospects still available didn’t have.  I’m not a fan of this draft overall.  Even if I agreed with the positions they took with their first three picks (CB, OT, DE) I can’t agree with the prospects they took.  In round 1 they could have had Josh Jackson or Isaiah Oliver instead of Hughes, at the end of round 2 they could have had Orlando Brown or Chukwuma Okorafor over O’Neill and even in round 4 if you wanted a situational pass rusher I would have taken Dorance Armstrong not Holmes.  Their best pick may have been Daniel Carlson, the kicker out of Auburn.  He should win the job without a problem.  TE Conklin and OG Gossett may add depth at their positions if they can make the roster.  DE Aruna and LB Downs will find it harder to make the roster given the Vikings excellent defensive depth.