Now that the 2024 NFL Draft is completed, fans and analysts are now looking at rosters and providing their opinions on where rosters stand before off-season activities begin. The NFC North was active in night one with six first round picks between the Packers, Bears, Lions, and Vikings. The Bears had the number one pick, Detroit was the host of the draft, and the Packers had one of the most amount of picks with 11. Here is how I grade each NFC North teams draft.
Chicago Bears NFL Draft Grade- A
Anytime an organization owns the number one pick and grabs the clear number on player in the NFL Draft, they are going to get a good grade out of it. After all, the Bears have the best rookie in the league on their roster.
Chicago also landed one of the best receivers in the draft in Rome Odunze out of Washington with the ninth pick. With a trio of Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, and Odunze, Caleb Williams has the tools right away to be successful in year one.
I would not sleep on the fourth round rookie punter Tory Taylor. The former Iowa punter has a cannon for a leg. With how bad the Hawkeyes offense was this past season, it is not a stretch to say Taylor won a few games for Iowa because of his ability to pin opposing offenses deep in their own territory. Taylor should be able to do that right away.
Minnesota Vikings NFL Draft Grade- A-
While the Vikings got the fourth best quarterback in the NFL Draft, they had to get their franchise quarterback. I think J.J. McCarthy will have a good career in Minnesota, but it will probably be a few years before we really see what he can do consistently. Despite not being asked to do much at Michigan, McCarthy only lost one college start for a reason, He’s a good player.
The Vikings also got one of the biggest steals in the NFL Draft by taking Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner at pick 17. Many, including myself, thought Turner would go off the board in the top 10. Minnesota moved up as well from pick 23 as they were able to keep both their first round picks.
Green Bay Packers NFL Draft Grade- B+
Jordan Morgan was not the stud pick for the Packers at pick 25, but it was the correct player to take. Jordan Love is about to get paid a ton of money this summer and you have to be able to keep him upright. The Packers love tackle talent and Morgan has the tools to be a good tackle.
Green Bay also landed linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and running back MarShawn Lloyd, both who many saw as the top player at their respective positions. I thought Green Bay reached a few times in day three, but they had an all around solid draft.
Detroit Lions NFL Draft Grade- A-
I don’t think the Lions thought they were going to get Terrion Arnold at pick 24 in the NFL Draft. I was surprised to see the top corner in the draft fall as far as he did. Detroit jumped one spot ahead of the Packers to land him. It was a good move in a position they needed to address. The Lions also added another top corner in Ennis RakestrawJr.
After locking up Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell earlier in the week, I liked that Detroit focused on the defensive side of the ball in the draft. There are no holes in their offense, but the defense needed some help in the secondary and they addressed it. It was a solid draft as well for Detroit and for the entire NFC North. It will be a very competitive division this season.