Hey guys, guess what? The NFC North is still nuts! The Packers are doing Packers things when it comes to the draft. The Bears have the opportunity to build around their young QB. The Vikings have a new regime in place and the Lions are taking the slow-build approach. Let’s see how they did.
Chicago Bears: C
I don’t like this class. This class screams to me that the new regime of GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus aren’t sold on Justin Fields, and to be completely transparent, that sucks. I like Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker as players, but Chicago could have used those picks to address the wide receiver position or upgrade their offensive line. I understand they didn’t have a first round pick, but if you have two second round picks, you could have split them between offense and defense. Then in round three they selected Velus Jones which to me was a massive reach as Jones was an older prospect with virtually no production- not exactly something that should fill Justin Fields with much confidence. Ditto for the selection of Braxton Jones, a developmental tackle who was the first OL selection for the team- in the fifth round. Zach Thomas is a depth offensive lineman, so taking him in round 6 is fine. The one pick that boggles the mind is the selection of Trestan Ebner in the 6th because he was the backup at Baylor and the starter on that offense was there for the taking in Abram Smith!!! The rest of this draft feels like filler. It’s just… it’s fine. The problem is that fine won’t help Justin Fields take the next step.
Detroit Lions: A
I love the draft the Lions had. It’s easy to like that the team took Aidan Hutchinson who should have been the first overall pick in this year’s draft, but the massive trade up to get a potential game-changer at wide receiver in Jameson Williams helped the Lions come away as big-time winners after the first night. They kept up that momentum by getting Josh Paschal in round 2, even if I would quantify it as a reach- there’s your Trey Flowers replacement. Kerby Joseph in round 3 to be a playmaking safety was another great pick. James Mitchell went largely unnoticed during the draft process after tearing his ACL in the second game of the season, but if he can return to his 2020 form, getting him late in round five is going to be a steal. Malcolm Rodriguez could be a starter for the team for about a decade and getting a player like that in the 6th is insane value. Very little to nitpick with this draft.
Green Bay Packers: C-
I already talked about the Quay Walker pick in the article I posted last Friday, but in short, I really didn’t like it. Devonte Wyatt with their second first-round pick is a good value and he’s a great fit for the defensive scheme the Packers run, so that bumped their grade up a little bit. I thought trading up for an unproven lottery ticket in Christian Watson is too risky for my liking. I love the Sean Rhyan pick as he was one of my favourite players and I didn’t understand his lack of any buzz. Romeo Doubs at wideout in the 4th is fine, but he has questions with his ability to catch consistently. I thought the team made good picks with Zach Tom in the 4th, Kingsley Enagbare in the 5th and Rasheed Walker in the 7th, but the risk tied up in the wide receiver picks they made and the round one selection of Quay Walker are sticking points for me.
Minnesota Vikings: A-
I like what the Vikings did. I didn’t think Lewis Cine would still be there at 32 yet they still got him. I love the business aspect of them trading back 20 picks in order to also get an early 2nd from Detroit (which they would then trade again). Nabbing Andrew Booth in the mid-second round is another great pick. I’m not sure about the Ed Ingram pick after details of some disturbing off-field issues in his past surfaced, but on the field, he’s one of the best guards in the class. I thought the Brian Asamoah pick was a bit of a reach and I’m not sure what the plan for Akayleb Evans is. I thought that coming from Cleveland, new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would likely pick younger prospects, but most of the selections were seniors. What’s more important is that they all have high floors too.
