NFC North Draft Review

NFC North Draft Review
This division should be quite competitive. The Bears really stepped up last season with a great defense and they added some good offensive pieces in the draft. The Packers are changing coaching staffs after Mike McCarthy’s long tenure but they still have Aaron Rodgers and if Matt LaFleur can update the offense, they should be pretty good. Minnesota should bounce back after a bit of a disappointing season. Detroit is in their second year under Matt Patricia so they hope to be more competitive than they were last season.

Chicago Bears

(73) David Montgomery RB
(126) Riley Ridley WR
(205) Duke Shelley CB
(222) Kerrith Whyte Jr. RB
(238) Stephen Denmark CB

Immediate Impact: RB David Montgomery
The Bears traded Jordan Howard away and they signed Mike Davis in free agency but Montgomery is good enough to take the job away from Davis. Tarik Cohen is the playmaker at RB but he isn’t built to carry the load and he needs a power back to share it with, Montgomery is a great complement to Cohen. Montgomery also brings the versatility Howard didn’t, when he’s in the game he can catch the ball so Matt Nagy will like that quite a bit.

Best Value: WR Riley Ridley
With Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, and Taylor Gabriel there probably isn’t a ton of snaps to go around at WR but Ridley will find a way to contribute. He’s an excellent route runner and Matt Nagy will find a way to use him because of it. The fact he fell into the 3rd round was a bit surprising but it was because he isn’t a dynamic athlete, however, he is a very good WR.

Sleeper: CB Duke Shelley
He’s an undersized CB but he’ll be a very good slot corner. It’s an important position in the NFL today and the Bears need help there. Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara are a solid starting duo but the team is counting on Buster Skrine to be the nickel back, he’s 30 and has bounced around a bit. Shelley has a chance to contribute.

Overall Analysis
This isn’t a large draft class because the Bears traded their 1st round pick for Khalil Mack and their 2nd round pick to move up last year to take Anthony Miller, two very smart moves. Montgomery and Ridley should be solid additions and the team can hope Shelley, Whyte and Denmark can become developmental players but there isn’t a lot of open roster space on the Bears so it doesn’t hurt them that the draft class is small. When you consider Mack was added in place of a 1st round pick, this is a good draft for the Bears.

Detroit Lions

(8) TJ Hockenson TE
(43) Jahlani Tavai LB
(81) Will Harris S
(117) Austin Bryant DE
(146) Amari Oruwariye CB
(184) Travis Fulgham WR
(186) Ty Johnson RB
(224) Isaac Nauta TE
(229) PJ Johnson DL

Immediate Impact: TE TJ Hockenson
Hockenson is the best TE on the roster and that includes newly signed free agent Jesse James. Hockenson can be dynamic in the passing game, a dangerous red zone threat and he’ll be tough and consistent blocker both in the run game and when necessary in pass protection. If the new offense features him Matt Stafford will have a new favorite target when the team needs a big play.

Best Value: CB Amari Oruwariye
In the fifth round the Lions somehow lucked into a tall, athletic CB who played at a very high-level last year at Penn St. Darius Slay is the top CB in Detroit but Jalen Tabor hasn’t put it all together opposite him and Oruwariye has the ability to be a starter in the NFL. Some may say he doesn’t like to be physical and doesn’t hit but he covers damn well and when teams look to avoid Slay, he will take advantage with his coverage skills.

Sleeper: S Will Harris
The Lions have Quandre Diggs, Miles Killebrew and Tavon Wilson at safety but Harris adds an element of athleticism they just don’t have in the back end. He has good size at 6’1 207 and Matt Patricia knows he needs better production from the back end of his defense. Between Harris and Oruwariye he has added that needed athleticism and Harris will find a place to play here.

Overall Analysis
Hockenson is the star of this draft class and he will make an impact on the offense in many ways. This team wants to run the ball better and he will certainly help with their run blocking and be a threat in the passing game. The team also grabbed Isaac Nauta later in the draft and add in free agent Jesse James and it’s quite clear the team wasn’t happy with their TE depth chart. Nauta should contribute as a third or fourth TE depending on what holdover Michael Roberts provides. LB Jahlani Tavai, S Will Harris and CB Amari Oruwariye bring some athleticism to the back seven this team was seriously missing. Tavai will give their LBs a run for their money for playing time. He’s a more modern LB than Devon Kennard or Christian Jones. Fulgham is a small-school guy but beyond Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola and Kenny Golladay the Lions don’t have much at WR so he could stick. Ty Johnson will have it tougher at RB unless CJ Anderson is too out of shape to be useful. Kerryon Johnson, Theo Riddick and Zach Zenner are basically locks for the roster. DL PJ Johnson’s size might endear him to the coaching staff but they already have big bodies so he may be looking at a year on the practice squad.

Green Bay Packers

(12) Rashan Gary DL
(21) Darnell Savage Jr. S
(44) Elgton Jenkins C/G
(75) Jace Sternberger TE
(150) Kingsley Keke DL
(185) Ka’dar Hollman CB
(194) Dexter Williams RB
(226) Ty Summers LB

Immediate Impact: TE Jace Sternberger, S Darnell Savage Jr.
The Packers still have Jimmy Graham but he isn’t the Jimmy Graham of old so they need some new blood at TE. Sternberger is a top-notch pass catcher and he will add to their offense. Rodgers knows how to use the TE so Sternberger will have an impact. I’m not a fan of the Savage pick but the team needs a deep safety. Adrian Amos and Josh Jones are better playing closer to the line of scrimmage, Savage has the speed to cover everything deep.

Best Value: C Elgton Jenkins
Jenkins should be an eventual starter for the Packers and that might happen sooner rather than later. C Corey Lindsay is a solid center but he is a bit undersized, LG Lane Taylor will be 30 this season and new RB Billy Turner may have been a big free agent signing but he hasn’t always been a consistent player. Jenkins can play anywhere on the interior of the line and that makes him a very valuable sub for now and he’ll eventually be a starter.

Sleeper: RB Dexter Williams
Williams is a well-built RB and he’s in the same mold as Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams so he should fit right in. Jones has had some injury issues in the past and Jamaal Williams has never been all that consistent. Dexter Williams hasn’t played a ton of snaps at Notre Dame so he’s still fresh and he has plenty of talent. If the team can keep his head on straight and get the most out of him, he could become a valuable piece on offense.

Overall Analysis
I didn’t love their first two picks. Rashan Gary is a fantastic athlete but simply never produced much at Michigan. The best hope they have is having Mike Daniels work ethic rub off on Gary and he starts to live up to his incredible potential. Savage is a fast safety but I think they over drafted him. He was a late riser in the draft process but there were better players available. Love the Jenkins and Sternberger picks, great value picks with long-term potential for the franchise. I don’t expect Keke or Hollman to make the roster, Keke is too undersized on the d-line and Hollman is fighting an uphill battle for a roster spot in the secondary. LB Ty Summers could make the roster as a backup LB where there isn’t much depth and he could play special teams.

Minnesota Vikings

(18) Garrett Bradbury C/G
(50) Irv Smith Jr. TE
(102) Alexander Mattison RB
(114) Dru Samia OL
(162) Cameron Smith LB
(190) Armon Watts DL
(191) Marcus Epps S
(193) Olisaemeka Udoh OL
(217) Kris Boyd CB
(239) Dillon Mitchell WR
(247) Olabisi Johnson WR
(250) Austin Cutting LS

Immediate Impact: C Garrett Bradbury, TE Irv Smith Jr.
Bradbury is going to start this season the only question is where; my guess is at center. The Vikings have Pat Elflein so they could have Bradbury start out at LG but I think they move Elflein to guard instead. That would improve two positions because I think Bradbury is a better center while Elflein improves their guard spot. Irv Smith Jr. isn’t taking Kyle Rudolph’s job just yet but the team will play more two TE sets now because of him and he’ll be a weapon for them.

Best Value: CB Kris Boyd
Boyd is definitely a better CB than a seventh-round pick. He’s a fighter and a scrapper and he might be better in the slot than Mackensie Alexander. With Trae Waynes and Xavier Rhodes on the outside Boyd’s best chance at playing time is beating out Alexander and Mike Hughes.

Sleeper: WR Dillon Mitchell
The Vikings have Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs but other than that the WR group is pretty devoid of talent. Laquon Treadwell is still hanging on but that is more about the lack of guys to beat him out than his abilities. Mitchell was the go-to WR at Oregon and he has good size and speed and could be a nice downfield threat for Kirk Cousins.

Overall Analysis
This is a large draft class and given the Vikings roster isn’t in bad shape a lot of these guys are headed to either the practice squad or to another team when they get cut. Bradbury is a guy that could be a future Pro Bowler at center and Irv Smith Jr. will be a nice weapon in the passing game right away. RB Alexander Mattison isn’t anything special but the team has very little behind Dalvin Cook and Cook is injury prone so as long as Mattison doesn’t fall on his face in training camp he should make the team. Dru Samia isn’t an overly athletic player but he’s experienced and the Vikings need interior help so he should be good. The defensive line and linebacking corps aren’t exactly stacked so Armon Watts and Cameron Smith might have a chance to make the roster. S Marcus Epps has some versatility but I don’t see him actually making the roster. Udoh is a small school prospect and while the team needs offensive line help, they need it now and Udoh isn’t ready right now. Johnson is a possession receiver but I don’t think he’s good enough to make the roster. It’s rare for a long snapper to get drafted but when a team has 12 picks they figure why not? The only question is whether or not he’ll have to serve his two-year commitment to the Air Force before he can play for the Vikings.