Chicago Bears
(10) Darnell Wright OT Tennessee
(53) Gervon Dexter DT Florida
(56) Tyrique Stevenson CB Miami
(64) Zacch Pickens DT South Carolina
(115) Roschon Johnson RB Texas
(133) Tyler Scott WR Cincinnati
(148) Noah Sewell LB Oregon
(165) Terell Smith CB Minnesota
(218) Travis Bell DT Kennesaw St
(258) Kendall Williamson S Stanford
Immediate Impact: RT Darnell Wright, DT Gervon Dexter
Darnell Wright walks in as the starting RT on day one. The RT position is fixed and Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom are going to have to find other spots to play or a different team. I’m not the biggest Dexter fan, he’s seriously inconsistent but the Bears DT depth chart is not good. His talent will allow him to get plenty of playing time, now if the coaches can just get him to actually play hard all the time, they will have something.
Best Value: WR Tyler Scott
Scott isn’t the biggest guy but he’s fast, he’s fluid, and he’s a really good athlete. If his hands were better and he was a little crisper in his routes he goes much higher. I think he can work on those things and the Bears got a guy who should have been a day two pick on day three. This guy is either the replacement for Darnell Mooney if he leaves next year in free agency, or he’s the reason the team doesn’t want Mooney back.
Sleeper: CB Terell Smith
I’m not a fan of the Tyrique Stevenson pick in the second round but I like this pick quite a bit. Stevenson is a flashy athlete; Smith is a good CB. Smith will give you steady play and be where he’s supposed to be on defense. He’s a good athlete who plays a bit stiff but he has years of experience and understands how to cover. Stevenson is either a homerun or a strikeout, Smith is a solid double down the line. If you made me bet who’s still on the roster in three years, I’ll take Smith.
Overall Analysis
The Bears wanted a RT and they got the best pure RT in the draft. I do question the wisdom of trading down one spot and giving up Jalen Carter, especially after they drafted three DTs, but I like Wright. I didn’t like the Dexter or Stevenson picks because there’s too much volatility in their outcomes. Dexter could be Jalen Carter, or he’s out of the league in three years. Stevenson can be a starter for the next decade, I’m just not sure if it’s in the NFL or XFL. DT Zacch Pickens is the opposite of Dexter, he’s as steady as they come but he’s not going to dominate. He is to Dexter what Smith is to Stevenson.
RB Rochon Johnson is a great complementary back and he’ll give them a lot of flexibility and he’ll help in so many ways. He could actually prove to be better than Herbert or Foreman by the end of the year. WR Tyler Scott is insurance against Darnell Mooney getting hurt or Chase Claypool sucking. Scott can play and he’ll make plays when he does. LB Noah Sewell is an interesting pick. He’s an old school big LB and he’ll be perfect backing up Tremaine Edmunds and he allows them the chance to use Edmunds in different ways if they want. The Smith pick was a hedge on Stevenson, just like Pickens was on Dexter. While normally I wouldn’t give much credence to a small school DT who’s undersized and got picked in round seven, I’ve seen the Bears DT depth chart, Travis Bell can make this roster. S Kendall Williamson will have to make this team on special teams.
Detroit Lions
(12) Jahmyr Gibbs RB Alabama
(18) Jack Campbell LB Iowa
(34) Sam LaPorta TE Iowa
(45) Brian Branch S Alabama
(68) Hendon Hooker QB Tennessee
(96) Brodric Martin DL Western Kentucky
(152) Colby Sorsdal OL William & Mary
(219) Antoine Green WR North Carolina
Immediate Impact: RB Jahmyr Gibbs, LB Jack Campbell, TE Sam LaPorta, S Brian Branch
The 12th pick was too high for Gibbs but that doesn’t mean he won’t be an awesome player. They traded D’Andre Swift after getting Gibbs so now he’s the complement to David Montgomery, and he’ll be great at it. Apologies to one of the starting LBs from last year but you just got replaced. Jack Campbell will be the starting MLB in Detroit and either Alex Anzalone goes to the bench or he moves to one of the other spots and someone else goes to the bench. Either way, Campbell is the new MLB and he’ll be a star. LaPorta is the new TJ Hockenson, he starts and with Jameson Williams suspended to start the season, he’ll get plenty of targets. Brian Branch may not start right away, but he will play and he will be excellent.
Best Value: S Brian Branch
This guy is an absolute steal half way through round two. He’s the best slot cover guy in the draft, he can play safety either in coverage or coming up to tackle. He’s not the biggest guy and he didn’t have great athletic testing numbers, he’s just football player. If I were Tracy Walker, I would be worried about my cap number increasing so much next year, they just drafted his replacement.
Sleeper: WR Antoine Green
No one has heard of this guy because Josh Downs sucked up all the targets in North Carolina’s offense. Green is a bigger WR with straight line speed and great size. The reason I’m calling him the sleeper is Jameson Williams is suspended to start the season which leaves, Marvin Jones Jr and Josh Reynolds as the only WR not named Amon-Ra St. Brown. It is completely possible Greene looks good when he gets a chance and sticks around.
Overall Analysis
You can quibble with the order in which the Lions took the players they got because a RB and LB in round one doesn’t feel like great value, but you can’ t argue with the guys they got. Gibbs is a major playmaker for the offense. Jack Campbell is the best LB they have had since…Chris Spielman? He sets the tone for how they want to play. TE Sam LaPorta and S Brian Branch were actually guys who could have gone in round one so they overpaid in round one and got value in round two. Then they got QB Hendon Hooker in round three. Hooker had some first round buzz but that was just noise. He’s a solid developmental prospect and if he recovers from his knee injury and they like what they see next year, he gives them something to think about in 2024 when they could move on from Jared Goff but they don’t have to.
DT Brodric Martin is a solid bet on a gigantic human being who can give them some real heft on the interior defensive line. OL Colby Sorsdal is a small school prospect they can try to develop into a future piece, they don’t need him now. Antoine Greene is just betting on a guy with traits late in the draft, not a terrible idea.
Green Bay Packers
(13) Lukas Van Ness Edge Iowa
(42) Luke Musgrave TE Oregon St.
(50) Jayden Reed WR Michigan St.
(78) Tucker Kraft TE South Dakota St.
(116) Colby Wooden DL Auburn
(149) Sean Clifford QB Penn St.
(159) Dontayvion Wicks WR Virginia
(179) Karl Brooks DL Bowling Green
(207) Anders Carlson K Auburn
(232) Carrington Valentine CB Kentucky
(235) Lew Nichols III RB Central Michigan
(242) Anthony Johnson Jr. S Iowa St.
(256) Grant DuBose WR Charlotte
Immediate Impact: Edge Lukas Van Ness, TE Luke Musgrave, TE Tucker Kraft, WR Jayden Reed
The Packers’ defense was not very good last year and they didn’t draft Lukas Van Ness to sit around and watch. It’s going to be a transition for him to play on the edge in their 3-4 defense but he’s the type of athlete who can do it. They have big pass rushing OLBs right now with Preston Smith and Rashan Gary, they can make Van Ness into one.
The TE spot was devoid of any difference makers so they drafted Luke Musgrave and then they couldn’t pass up the value of Tucker Kraft when he slipped to round three. Those two become the top two TEs and Jordan Love is going to enjoy both, I see some two TE sets in Green Bay’s future. The Packers don’t usually draft smaller WRs but they made an exception for Jayden Reed. Reed will be the perfect complement in the slot to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. They don’t have a real slot receiver right now so it’s his job to lose.
Best Value: TE Tucker Kraft
There were some who really liked Kraft as a prospect and he definitely had higher grades than 78th overall. It was a deep TE class so teams waited a bit and he was way too good to fall any farther and the Packers remade their TE depth chart with this draft on day two.
Sleeper: S Anthony Johnson Jr.
I hate to give credit to a Cyclone but this guy could end up really being a player for the Packers. Johnson played safety, nickel, and CB while at Iowa St (it feels like he was there for 12 years). His experience will help him find a role and the Packers need some safety help or Darnell Savage is going to feel lonely back there. At worst he’s a versatile backup, at best he could end up starting at safety opposite Savage.
Overall Analysis
Van Ness gives them another 1st rounder on defense, at some point they have to realize they have plenty of talent, they need a new coach there. Musgrave and Kraft have a chance to really help this team as a really good TE duo, they should complement each other well. Reed could be a huge addition; he can make Jordan Love’s life easier. This team made 13 picks, I like the first four, it gets a little off kilter after that.
They needed some depth on the defensive front and they got Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks. Neither one is a needle mover but they can be nice backups. QB Sean Clifford in round five was a head-scratcher. They could certainly use quarterback depth beyond Danny Etling but Clifford isn’t it. Jaren Hall, Tanner McKee, and Max Duggan were all still on the board, I would have rather had any of the three. Dontayvion Wicks and Grant DuBose were depth picks at WR, neither one feels like they will really help but I like DuBose more than Wicks. I’m not a big proponent of drafting a kicker but when you have 13 picks and it’s in the sixth round, I’m fine with it. They need a kicker to replace Mason Crosby and Anders Carlson has a better chance of making an impact than another late round position player. CB Carrington Valentine, RB Lew Nichols III, and Anthony Johnson Jr. will join to two WRs trying to make this team as special teamers and backups with the hope to find a spot in the future.
Minnesota Vikings
(23) Jordan Addison WR USC
(102) Mekhi Blackmon CB USC
(134) Jay Ward CB LSU
(141) Jaquelin Roy DL LSU
(164) Jaren Hall QB BYU
(222) DeWayne McBride RB UAB
Immediate Impact: WR Jordan Addison
The Vikings didn’t have a lot of draft capital and they filled a major hole on offense with their first pick. Jordan Addison steps into the spot vacated by Adam Thielen and he’s a great complement to Justin Jefferson. Jefferson is a true #1 WR and Addison can be a fantastic #2. He’s fast, he’s a great route runner, and he’s a reliable target, Kevin O’Connell will find ways to get him the ball.
Best Value: QB Jaren Hall
Hall might be a bit underrated because he’s an older prospect who lacks ideal size. He has plenty of arm strength and mobility which make up for his lack of height and he has a chance to develop into a starter down the road. For a team that might be looking to move on from Kirk Cousins in a year and only has Nick Mullens as a backup, Hall in round five was well worth the pick.
Sleeper: CB Mekhi Blackmon
The Vikings have Andrew Booth Jr and Byron Murphy at CB, Booth is coming off an injury riddled rookie year and Murphy is better in the slot. They need a lot of help at CB and Blackmon wasn’t one of the big-name CBs but he played a lot at USC. He’s not a big guy and he’s not a great athlete but he doesn’t care and he competes on every rep. On a team in need of an outside CB, I’m not betting against Blackmon. They may end up with a starting CB from round three.
Overall Analysis
For a team that had a lot of holes on defense, they didn’t have a lot of draft capital to use and they used their first pick on offense. Addison will keep the offense humming right along but with only six picks I question the wisdom of using three on offense and three on defense. CB Jay Ward is also tough to figure out, he’s basically a CB/S tweener who isn’t that good at any one thing in particular. He might be a solid slot corner but they should be playing Murphy there. DT Jaquelin Roy is a big boy at DT and adds some beef but I’m not sure he breaks through enough to actually play. Hall is a nice shot at a backup QB and maybe a starter in a couple of years but he’s not helping right now. DeWayne McBride looks the part of an NFL running back but unless they trade Dalvin Cook it’s going to be hard to find playing time behind Cook, Alexander Mattison, and Kene Nwangwu. He has to beat out Ty Chandler to just make the 53-man roster. I would have gone all defense after drafting Addison, or drafted a defender in round one and taken a different WR in round two.
The Hott Read 