Chicago
Chicago’s draft strategy was interesting. After taking Wright at #10, the Bears decided to double dip at two positions of need – CB (2 / 56, Stevenson & 5 / 164, Smith) and DT (2/ 53, Dexter, 3 / 64, Pickens, & 7 / 218, Bell), trying to ensure they find at least a pair of major contributors. Late in the draft, the Bears decided to trust their scouts with the selection of Bell and Williamson.
Best pick – Sewell
??? pick – Bell
Grade – C-
Round/Pick | Prospect | Pos | College | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 / 10 | Darnell Wright | OT | Tennessee | Wright is the best ORT in this draft. The Bears feel comfortable with Braxton Jones at OLT and decide to draft the fluid and big Vol to protect Justin Fields next year in Chicago. |
2 / 53 | Gervon Dexter | DT | Florida | Dexter has tremendous talent but an inconsistent motor. He has great potential if coaches can get through to him. |
2 / 56 | Tyrique Stevenson | CB | Miami, Fl | Strong and long CB who excels in press coverage. Very physical and tough. |
3 / 64 | Zacch Pickens | DT | South Carolina | Bears continue with the re-tooling of the DL with the talented but raw Gamecock DT. |
4 / 115 | Roschon Johnson | RB | Texas | Johnson has little wear and tear as Bijan Robinson’s back up in Austin. Johnson has good size, power, and burst whose best football may lie ahead of him. |
4 / 133 | Tyler Scott | WR | Cincinnati | The Bears have a need to import more WR talent to the team and Scott brings elusiveness and big play ability to the Bears offense. |
5 / 148 | Noah Sewell | LB | Oregon | Sewell is another top prospect who fell down the draft board unexpectedly. Sewell’s production fell in 2023 and combined with the low priority placed on the LBs in the NFL Draft, hurt his stock. However, Sewell still projects as a starting caliber NFL LB early in his career. |
5 / 165 | Terrell Smith | CB | Minnesota | Smith had a good postseason and rose up draft boards as the draft neared. Smith has good size and improved consistently over his time at Minnesota. Smith figures to at least play in dime packages as a rookie in 2023. |
7 / 218 | Travis Bell | DT | Kennesaw State | |
7 / 258 | Kendal Williamson | S | Stanford |
Detroit
Detroit’s draft strategy was odd. It isn’t that their first-round picks were bad. Gibbs and Campbell are good players but both should have been available later. GM Brad Holmes has been doing a masterful job in Detroit but the first round picks this year were head scratchers.
Best pick – Hooker
??? pick – Martin
Grade – C+
Round/Pick | Prospect | Pos | College | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 / 12 | Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | Alabama | A surprising pick. Gibbs has special explosiveness and speed. He’s the highest RB selected by the Lions since Barry Sanders in 1989. |
1 / 18 | Jack Campbell | LB | Iowa | This is surprising but Campbell is an instinctive, run-stuffing MLB with great range and tackling ability. Big, strong, and physical and addresses a need. But at #18? Wow. |
2 / 34 | Sam LaPorta | TE | Iowa | The Lions pick another Hawkeye. LaPorta has good size, blocking ability, and soft hands. Addresses a need in the Motor City. |
2 / 45 | Brian Branch | S | Alabama | Branch is a quality safety who excels in slot coverage. He’s smart and instinctive and addresses a huge need. |
3 / 64 | Hendon Hooker | QB | Tennessee | Lions draft a QB to develop to succeed Goff. Hooker is coming off an ACL injury but is a great prospect. |
3 / 96 | Brodric Martin | DT | Western Kentucky | Martin is a huge man with grapevines for arms. Big and strong and excels as a run stuffer. He offers little as a pass rusher but the Lions run defense was a sieve last year. By drafting Martin, the Lions take steps to address a need. |
5 / 152 | Colby Sorsdal | OT | William & Mary | Sorsdal has got size and length and dominated his level of FCS competition He may have to bide some time on the practice squad but he offers promising attributes to be developed. |
7 / 219 | Antoine Green | WR | North Carolina | The Lions final pick of the draft is the solid and dependable Green who offers good size, route running, and hands to help replace the suspended Jameson Williams in the Lions passing attack. |
Green Bay
The Packers are trying to reload on the fly as the Jordan Love era begins. They went out and supported their new signal caller with a pair of TEs and WRs and then fortified their defensive front with Van Ness, Wooden, and Brooks. The Packers organization is still the best in the NFC North.
Best pick – Hooker
??? pick – Martin
Grade – B+
Round/Pick | Prospect | Pos | College | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 / 13 | Lukas Van Ness | Edge | Iowa | SNS Contributor Zak Everett made this prediction several weeks ago. Van Ness has great length and quick-twitch burst to exploit OLs in the NFC North. |
2 / 42 | Luke Musgrave | TE | Oregon State | The TE run continues…and Darnell Washington continues to fall down the board. Musgrave missed most of last season with an injury but he displays tantalizing athletic ability, speed, and hands to give new QB Jordan Love another weapon to exploit. |
2 / 50 | Jayden Reed | WR | Michigan State | The Packers select the quick and dangerous Spartan who doubles as an excellent punt returner. Reed possesses both elusiveness and deep speed. Reed’s stock rose throughout the draft process and now he goes #50 overall. |
3 / 78 | Tucker Kraft | TE | South Dakota State | Packers take their second TE in the Dallas Goedert clone. Kraft is a better blocker, and all around player, than Musgrave. Expect Kraft to get more playing time early than Musgrave. |
4 / 116 | Colby Wooden | DL | Auburn | Wooden is a ‘tweener prospect whose best football could be playing 5T in Green Bay’s defense. |
5 / 149 | Sean Clifford | WR | Penn State | The run-on mid-round QB prospects continues with the surprising drafting of Clifford. Clifford finished his career playing his best football and has good athleticism and leadership skills. Still, didn’t see Clifford being a fifth-round draft pick. |
5 / 159 | Dontayvion Wicks | WR | Virginia | Wicks offers excellent size and a large catch radius to the Packers WR room. His hands are inconsistent but he is a dangerous YAC monster after the catch. |
6 / 179 | Karl Brooks | DL | Bowling Green | The Packers select the intriguing ‘tweener Brooks at #179. Brooks played Edge for the Falcons but his size seems to indicate DT or 5T. Regardless, he has promising upside to be developed. |
7 / 207 | Anders Carlson | K | Auburn | Looks like Mason Crosby is on notice in Green Bay. Carlson, whose brother is the Raiders’ kicker, has a huge leg with the ability to hit 55+ yard FGs. But his accuracy is spotty. A camp battle to watch. |
7 / 232 | Carrington Valentine | CB | Kentucky | Valentine has good size, length, playing experience, and ball skills to compete for a roster spot in August, especially if he can contribute on special teams. |
7 / 235 | Lew Nichols | RB | CMU | |
7 / 242 | Anthony Johnson | S | Iowa State | Johnson, a former CB, combines good size and strength and matches up with TEs effectively over the middle of the field. He is a candidate to make Green Bay’s 53-man roster. |
7 / 256 | Grant DuBose | WR | Charlotte | Packers select another WR with good sized wideout DuBose. DuBose has a legitimate chance to make the roster in September. |
Minnesota
The Vikings had a solid draft, going to USC and LSU for their first four selections. Hall has plenty of experience and upside to develop behind Kirk Cousins. McBride went later than expected but looks like a potential starting NFL RB in the near future.
Best pick – McBride
??? pick – Ward
Grade – B
Round/Pick | Prospect | Pos | College | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 / 23 | Jordan Addison | WR | USC | Four straight WRs go in a row with the selection of Addison, the former Biletnikoff Award winner. Addison is smooth and is a plug and play starter from day one in Minnesota. |
3 / 102 | Mekhi Blackmon | CB | USC | Blackmon is an excellent ball athlete with soft hands and leaping ability. He competes throughout the route and at the catch point. |
4 / 134 | Jay Ward | S | LSU | Surprised that Ward went this high. The Vikings most likely will employ Ward as a slot CB but he lacks some desired fluidity and speed for those duties. Solid player but a strange selection at#134. |
5 / 141 | Jaquelin Roy | DT | LSU | Roy offers huge size and power and is one of the better run stuffers available in this year’s draft. He offers little as a pass rusher. |
5 / 164 | Jaren Hall | QB | BYU | After drafting Kellen Mond two years ago, the Vikings take another highly athletic QB to develop. Hall is experienced, productive, and has a high football IQ. The Vikings hope that unlike Mond, Hall can be developed into a potential starter in Minnesota. |
7/222 | DeWayne McBride | RB | UAB | Rumors out of Minneapolis are that Vikings are considering moving on from Dalvin Cook. By drafting McBride, the Vikings have a potential backfield combination of Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, and McBride if they move on from Cook. |
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