The NFC North has the potential to be a powerhouse division in 2024. The Detroit Lions displayed traits of an elite football team, falling just one game shy of attending the Superbowl. The Green Bay Packers in their first season under quarterback Jordan Love became the youngest team to win a playoff game, upsetting the number two seed Cowboys in a dominant fashion as well as proving young talent on both sides of the ball.
The Chicago Bears ended their season strong, winning five of their last eight games as well as securing the number one pick by way of the trade for superstar receiver DJ Moore from the Carolina Panthers in 2022. The Minnesota Vikings season was unfortunately derailed by the tear of Kirk Cousins’ Achilles during a potential MVP run. With the departure of Cousins’ the Vikings are in a limbo period but given the superstar power of wide receiver Justin Jefferson, the potential will be on the roster as long as he is.
The NFC North had impressive draft capital to help propel these teams into the forefront, though, not all draft selections are guaranteed value.
Detroit Lions Draft Grade: C+
1st Place In NFC North In 2023
- Round 1, Pick 24 overall: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
- Round 2, Pick 61 overall: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri
- Round 4, Pick 126 overall: Giovanni Manu, OT, University of British Columbia
- Round 4, Pick 132 overall: Sione Vaki, S/RB, Utah
- Round 6, Pick 189 overall: Mekhi Wingo, DT, LSU
- Round 6, Pick 210 overall: Christian Mahogany, G, Boston College
The Detroit Lions took two top-rated corners early, a smart move given the lack of talent at the position that came to bite them in the playoffs in 2023. Obtaining two of the top four cornerback prospects in the draft could prove to pay huge dividends for them in the future. They also found plenty of value in the sixth round with an undersized yet impressive defensive tackle in Mekhi Wingo as well as a promising young guard in Christian Mahogany.
Their fourth round was puzzling. Giovanni Manu is a Canadian footballer with all the physical tools of a great offensive lineman, though very far behind in fundamentals and his level of competition before drafting was incomparably worse. They also obtained hybrid player Sione Vaki, who won the “Most Versatile Player” award. Despite looking a bit more athletic on tape, his measurables did not impress for either safety or running back positions. Vaki is not a fit for NFL running back and misses out on many key qualities for a safety, like hip mobility and tackling discipline.
Both of these players could have fallen into the deep fifth round or potentially much farther. Both Manu and Vaki are projects that can not have a guaranteed positive impact by even year two. To take them so early with so many uncertainties appears to be a complete miss step by the Detroit Lions.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grade: A
2nd Place In NFC North In 2023
- Round 1: No. 25– Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
- Round 2: No. 45– (from NO through DEN)-Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M
- Round 2: No. 58– Javon Bullard, S, Georgia
- Round 3: No. 88-MarShawn Lloyd, RB, USC
- Round 3: No. 91 (from BUF)-Ty’Ron Hopper, LB, Missouri
- Round 4: No. 111 (from NYJ)-Evan Williams, S, Oregon
- Round 5: No 163 (from BUF)-Jacob Monk, C, Duke
- Round 5: No. 169-Kitan Oladapo, S, Oregon State
- Round 6: No. 202-Travis Glover, OT, Georgia State
- Round 7: No. 245-Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane
- Round 7: No. 255-Kalen King, CB, Penn State
The Green Bay Packers have dominated the NFC North for much of the last 30 years with a lot of help from their drafting, with a stockpile of picks (among the most in the NFL), the Green Bay Packers found great value in every round of the draft.
The Packers were able to obtain the consensus no.1 overall middle linebacker in Edgerrin Cooper, arguably the top Safety in the draft in Javon Bullard, and arguably the highest ceiling running back in MarShawn Lloyd. All of which were positions of need for the Packers.
Green Bay also found immense value in the later rounds, including much-needed safety competition, further help/competition on an offensive line that let up the third least amount of sacks in the 2023 season, and a QB3 that was a top 10 quarterback prospect in the draft. Kalen King went nearly undrafted, despite being a potential first-round prospect in 2023, meaning the Packers have the potential to prove him as a top steal in the draft.
There are some questions about the Green Bay Packers cornerback room, a group that had some of the least interceptions in 2023. Except the Packers did not pursue any of the top CB prospects in the draft, actually trading out of a pick where the New Orleans Saints took top prospect Kool-Aid McKinstry. There are also question marks on their first-round pick Jordan Morgan, a player who does not have a perfect positional fit along the offensive line though has plenty of ability and potential to be a premier lineman.
Minnesota Vikings Draft Grade: B
3rd Place In NFC North In 2023
- Round 1: No. 10 (from NYJ)- J.J.McCarthy, QB, Michigan
- Round 1: No. 17 (from JAX)- Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
- Round 4: No. 108– Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon
- Round 6: No 177 (from CAR via JAX)- Walter Rouse, OT, Oklahoma
- Round 6: No. 203 (from DEN through HOU through CLE)- Will Reichard, K, Alabama
- Round 7: No. 230 (conditional from ATL via CLE and AZ)- Michael Jurgens, C, Wake Forest
- Round 7: No. 232 (from DEN via HOU and SF)- Levi Drake Rodriguez, DT, Texas A&M-Commerce
With an expected quarterback pick the Vikings ended up with the worst of the top six quarterbacks on my board, in JJ McCarthy. Although there is ample reason to doubt McCarthy’s ceiling, his floor is reasonably high enough to draft him. The Vikings also made a trade-up for arguably the best defender in the draft, Dallas Turner, a move reminiscent of the 2023 Houston Texans draft where they took OROTY CJ Stroud and DROTY Will Anderson. Dallas Turner and defensive coordinator Brian Flores are a match made in heaven, do not be surprised if Flores is able to get elite-level production out of him early.
The Vikings had no Day 2 picks, though they found high value at the beginning of Day 3 with Khyree Jackson. Although Khyree Jackson is already 24 years old and only started in 14 career collegiate games, his size and physicality for the corner position are exceptional. Sporting the Tyrique Woolen archetype at corner, his length and agility make a deadly combo that can flourish into a legitimate CB.1.
Tackle Walter Rouse has the size to create a starting offensive lineman, though needing to put on more mass to survive NFL rushers. He has an intelligent stroke to his game and is very experienced giving a good base of fundamentals. Not overly athletic or impressive on film, he has the ability to grow into a starter in the NFL. Kicker Will Reichard will likely win the starting kicker spot and could potentially be a franchise kicker, time at Alabama had everything you need to see.
Chicago Bears Draft Grade: B+
4th Pace In NFC North In 2023
- Round 1: No. 1 (from CAR)- Caleb Williams, QB, USC
- Round 1: No. 9– Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
- Round 3: No. 75-Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
- Round 4: No. 122 (from PHI)-Tory Taylor, P, Iowa
The Chicago Bears draft is a small one to grade, With half their picks coming in the top 10 of the draft the only reason it is not an A is that in one of the most talented drafts for a while, the Bears only had four selections.
Caleb Williams has the highest ceiling of any of the quarterbacks in the NFL draft, with an explosive arm that can make throws from any angle as well as above-average athleticism, Williams is a generational prospect. Although there will be many footwork and scheduling-oriented things he will need to pick up quick to have a successful first season, it’s hard to imagine Williams being anything else than an above-average quarterback.
Rome Odunze is a flashy and fun selection, pairing a young quarterback with a young receiver could set up a franchise for a long time. With slight knocks on his attention to detail on route running and commitment to run blocking, Odunze makes up for it with elite ball skills and WR1 size and speed.
Kiran Amegadjie has the size and athletic profile to be a starting NFL tackle, though will take time to adjust to higher-level competition coming from the Ivy League. Assuming he can develop smarter and more productive hands, football intelligence, and consistent footwork, Kiran will become a plus starter at the NFL level.
A punter in the fourth round is likely a reach regardless of anything else, there will be Pro Bowl-level players drafted after him at premier positions. Despite this, it makes decent sense, not only because this was the Bears’ final selection of the draft but also the impressive profile of Tory Taylor. Arguably the most decorated FBS punter of all time, Taylor has size, reps, strength, accuracy, and focus flip fields nearly at will.
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