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Gute Loot
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Growing up primarily a Chargers fan, I used to do this for the AFC West every year. Now they are dead to me forever, so I'm turning my full attention to the Packers and the NFC North. With the draft complete, teams have made all of the important additions and subtractions that we can expect at this point. So with no more ado, let's take this by position group and fire up the discussion.
Quarterback: While some of these positions are pretty mirky, quarterback is cut and dry. Rodgers is #1 with a bullet. After a significant drop down, Stafford stands head and shoulders above the others. Bradford, for his faults, is still easily a better option than Glennon and a rookie, who bring up the rear. The Bears likely have the best backup in the divsion, but I don't give much weight to backups at this position.
Running Back: Overall, this is a weak position in the NFCN. The emergence of Jordan Howard gives the Bears an easy edge at the top. He looked like the best back of the four teams by a pretty decent margin last year. Carey and Langford aren't anything special, but they're competent backups. And while I laughed at the Tarik Cohen pick, it's possible he brings a new dimension. I gave the #2 spot to the Lions because of Theo Rid****. While not a traditional back, he's a fantastic receiver and actually showed more as a runner in 2016. Ameer Abdullah is a talented backup. The Packers will hopefully climb close to the top of this list as Montgomery develops at the position and the rookies have the chance to prove their worth, but I'm not going to assume that happens and slot them any higher. I'm sure some will disagree with putting the Vikings last, but I really don't like their additions. Latavius Murray has no vision and is about to get a reality check behind a horrible offensive line after playing with a great one. Dalvin Cook was one of the most overrated prospects in this class in my opinion. He has some skills, but his shoulders are fragile, he has a fumbling problem, and he's a poor athlete.
Wide Receiver: Another easy position, I think it's tough to argue that the Packers don't have this one sewn up. Nelson is still close to the top of his game, making him the class of the division. Adams has emerged as a great #2, and while injuries have robbed Cobb of some of his ability, he still has some big moments. Behind those three are four young guys, some of whom have high end athletic potential. While less proven than the corps in Green Bay, Minnesota boasts some nice talent on the outside. Diggs has emerged as a consistent option for Bradford, and Thielen surprised with his consistency. Treadwell did nothing as a rookie, but there is still potential there and teams could do a lot worse than Jarius Wright as a #4. The Lions lack a guy that you would look at as a #1, but they have two quality targets in Tate and Jones. While there really is nothing proven behind them at this point, that still puts them in a better positon than the Bears who, aside from aging and/or disappointing vets like Royal, Wheaton, and Randle, have to rely on nothing but the hope that White and Meredith will emerge as reliable options.
Tight End: Due to offseason acquisitions, the Packers climb to the top of this list. Bennett and Rudolph are really the only two candidates to be considered the best in-division. And the Vikings lack a TE2 of Kendricks' quality. I've never been a fan of Richard Rodgers, but as your 3rd TE it's hard to do much better (though he might get beaten out by the more talented Beau Sandland). The Vikings do have a quality player in Rudolph, and I like the potential of Bucky Hodges as a receiver and Morgan as a blocker. The Bears at #3 might seem surprising, but Zach Miller and Eric Ebron are really not much different in quality. Behind him, I view the combination of Sims and Shaheen as a better combination than Roberts and Fells.
Offensive Line: Lang's departure shakes this up a little but, but I still think the Packers have a firm hold of the top spot. Their starters at 4/5 spots are anywhere from solid to elite, and Evans was still a high end pass protector at guard last year despite his age. The Lions have gotten some nice play out of Decker, and made two big additions in Lang and Wagner to get to #2 on this list. I don't love the Bears' options at either tackle spot, but Sitton, Whitehair, and Long as a nice interior trio. And lastly, you have the Vikings, who are still a mess. Reiff was an OK RT in Detroit who is now playing the left side for Minnesota. Mike Remmers is fine, but can be a liability in protection at right tackle. The RG spot looks to be a mess.
Interior Defensive Line: This take is bound to be somewhat controversial, but it has as much to do with the weakness of the other teams as it does the strength of the Packers. Mike Daniels is probably the best iDL in the division. Kenny Clark and Dean Lowry came on down the stretch last season. RJF is a quality rotational lineman, and Adams has some potential in rotation. Guion can be kept as a competent veteran if need be. The Vikings have a great player in Linval Joseph, but with Floyd perhaps being done the rest of their unit is comprised of Tom Johnson, Shamar Stephen, and 4th round rookie Jaleel Johnson. The Bears will move up for me if they sign Jaye Howard, but at the moment they don't really have a quality starter aside from Hicks. There is plenty of room for Goldman and Bullard to change that, but it hasn't happened yet. And lastly, you have Detroit who starts an aging Haloti Ngata and an unproven A'Shawn Robinson, while their top backups are Akeem Spence and Packers' draft bust Khyri Thornton.
Edge Rusher: The Vikings have this one on lockdown with quality starters in Griffen and Hunter, and Robison still being productive. Datone Jones may end up being a nice option in a 4-3 under Zimmer. The trio of solid players in Chicago, McPhee, Floyd, and Young, are enough for me to give the 2nd spot to the Bears. The Packers have perhaps the best edge rusher in the division (when he's healthy) in Nick Perry, but behind him is the increasingly unreliable Clay Matthews and a couple of young players who have yet to prove much of anything. Detroit isn't much different with Ansah and Hyder corresponding to Perry and Matthews, but with the exception that they have much less potential as you move down the depth chart.
Off-Ball Linebacker: While Barr's trajectory has been more uneven than you'd expect from a guy who started off his career so well, he's still a talented and versatile option. Kendricks is also quality. Chicago has two nice options in Trevathan and Freeman, but there is very little around them that impresses me. In Green Bay, I like what I've seen from Ryan and Martinez in their 2nd and 1st years respecitvely. Thomas is an OK backup at WILL, but depth at MIKE still needs to be addressed. The Lions are hoping that Jarrad Davis improves what is currently a pretty pathetic group.
Cornerback: I'm getting ready for a fight over this one. Minnesota is obviously the class of the division, with Rhodes, Newman, Waynes, and Alexander. After them, I rated Packers #2 for the following reasons. They added Davon House, who was capable in this defense before leaving. They added a freakishly talented rookie in Kevin King. Their 2015 draft picks, Randall and Rollins, were good as rookies but injured in 2015. With all of that going on, I give them the edge over the Lions who have a great option in Darius Slay but really not much around him in terms of proven talent or high end potential (this likely has a lot to do with my low opinion of **** Tabor). The Bears bring up the rear with the solid but oft injured Amukamara playing across from the disappointing Kyle Fuller. The rest of the depth chart is fairly paltry.
Safety: Cinton-Dix has developed into a very strong starter across from the steady, consistent presence of Burnett. There is also potential behind him in Kentrell Brice and rookie Josh Jones. The Vikings, while lacking the quality in both spots that the Packers boast, have one of the best safeties in the entire league in Harrison Smith. The Bears aren't anything special at safety, but Demps and Amos as both solid. Lastly, the Lions are fielding an aging Glover Quin and not much else.
Quarterback: While some of these positions are pretty mirky, quarterback is cut and dry. Rodgers is #1 with a bullet. After a significant drop down, Stafford stands head and shoulders above the others. Bradford, for his faults, is still easily a better option than Glennon and a rookie, who bring up the rear. The Bears likely have the best backup in the divsion, but I don't give much weight to backups at this position.
- Packers
- Lions
- Vikings
- Bears
Running Back: Overall, this is a weak position in the NFCN. The emergence of Jordan Howard gives the Bears an easy edge at the top. He looked like the best back of the four teams by a pretty decent margin last year. Carey and Langford aren't anything special, but they're competent backups. And while I laughed at the Tarik Cohen pick, it's possible he brings a new dimension. I gave the #2 spot to the Lions because of Theo Rid****. While not a traditional back, he's a fantastic receiver and actually showed more as a runner in 2016. Ameer Abdullah is a talented backup. The Packers will hopefully climb close to the top of this list as Montgomery develops at the position and the rookies have the chance to prove their worth, but I'm not going to assume that happens and slot them any higher. I'm sure some will disagree with putting the Vikings last, but I really don't like their additions. Latavius Murray has no vision and is about to get a reality check behind a horrible offensive line after playing with a great one. Dalvin Cook was one of the most overrated prospects in this class in my opinion. He has some skills, but his shoulders are fragile, he has a fumbling problem, and he's a poor athlete.
- Bears
- Lions
- Packers
- Vikings
Wide Receiver: Another easy position, I think it's tough to argue that the Packers don't have this one sewn up. Nelson is still close to the top of his game, making him the class of the division. Adams has emerged as a great #2, and while injuries have robbed Cobb of some of his ability, he still has some big moments. Behind those three are four young guys, some of whom have high end athletic potential. While less proven than the corps in Green Bay, Minnesota boasts some nice talent on the outside. Diggs has emerged as a consistent option for Bradford, and Thielen surprised with his consistency. Treadwell did nothing as a rookie, but there is still potential there and teams could do a lot worse than Jarius Wright as a #4. The Lions lack a guy that you would look at as a #1, but they have two quality targets in Tate and Jones. While there really is nothing proven behind them at this point, that still puts them in a better positon than the Bears who, aside from aging and/or disappointing vets like Royal, Wheaton, and Randle, have to rely on nothing but the hope that White and Meredith will emerge as reliable options.
- Packers
- Vikings
- Lions
- Bears
Tight End: Due to offseason acquisitions, the Packers climb to the top of this list. Bennett and Rudolph are really the only two candidates to be considered the best in-division. And the Vikings lack a TE2 of Kendricks' quality. I've never been a fan of Richard Rodgers, but as your 3rd TE it's hard to do much better (though he might get beaten out by the more talented Beau Sandland). The Vikings do have a quality player in Rudolph, and I like the potential of Bucky Hodges as a receiver and Morgan as a blocker. The Bears at #3 might seem surprising, but Zach Miller and Eric Ebron are really not much different in quality. Behind him, I view the combination of Sims and Shaheen as a better combination than Roberts and Fells.
- Packers
- Vikings
- Bears
- Lions
Offensive Line: Lang's departure shakes this up a little but, but I still think the Packers have a firm hold of the top spot. Their starters at 4/5 spots are anywhere from solid to elite, and Evans was still a high end pass protector at guard last year despite his age. The Lions have gotten some nice play out of Decker, and made two big additions in Lang and Wagner to get to #2 on this list. I don't love the Bears' options at either tackle spot, but Sitton, Whitehair, and Long as a nice interior trio. And lastly, you have the Vikings, who are still a mess. Reiff was an OK RT in Detroit who is now playing the left side for Minnesota. Mike Remmers is fine, but can be a liability in protection at right tackle. The RG spot looks to be a mess.
- Packers
- Lions
- Bears
- Vikings
Interior Defensive Line: This take is bound to be somewhat controversial, but it has as much to do with the weakness of the other teams as it does the strength of the Packers. Mike Daniels is probably the best iDL in the division. Kenny Clark and Dean Lowry came on down the stretch last season. RJF is a quality rotational lineman, and Adams has some potential in rotation. Guion can be kept as a competent veteran if need be. The Vikings have a great player in Linval Joseph, but with Floyd perhaps being done the rest of their unit is comprised of Tom Johnson, Shamar Stephen, and 4th round rookie Jaleel Johnson. The Bears will move up for me if they sign Jaye Howard, but at the moment they don't really have a quality starter aside from Hicks. There is plenty of room for Goldman and Bullard to change that, but it hasn't happened yet. And lastly, you have Detroit who starts an aging Haloti Ngata and an unproven A'Shawn Robinson, while their top backups are Akeem Spence and Packers' draft bust Khyri Thornton.
- Packers
- Vikings
- Bears
- Lions
Edge Rusher: The Vikings have this one on lockdown with quality starters in Griffen and Hunter, and Robison still being productive. Datone Jones may end up being a nice option in a 4-3 under Zimmer. The trio of solid players in Chicago, McPhee, Floyd, and Young, are enough for me to give the 2nd spot to the Bears. The Packers have perhaps the best edge rusher in the division (when he's healthy) in Nick Perry, but behind him is the increasingly unreliable Clay Matthews and a couple of young players who have yet to prove much of anything. Detroit isn't much different with Ansah and Hyder corresponding to Perry and Matthews, but with the exception that they have much less potential as you move down the depth chart.
- Vikings
- Bears
- Packers
- Lions
Off-Ball Linebacker: While Barr's trajectory has been more uneven than you'd expect from a guy who started off his career so well, he's still a talented and versatile option. Kendricks is also quality. Chicago has two nice options in Trevathan and Freeman, but there is very little around them that impresses me. In Green Bay, I like what I've seen from Ryan and Martinez in their 2nd and 1st years respecitvely. Thomas is an OK backup at WILL, but depth at MIKE still needs to be addressed. The Lions are hoping that Jarrad Davis improves what is currently a pretty pathetic group.
- Vikings
- Bears
- Packers
- Lions
Cornerback: I'm getting ready for a fight over this one. Minnesota is obviously the class of the division, with Rhodes, Newman, Waynes, and Alexander. After them, I rated Packers #2 for the following reasons. They added Davon House, who was capable in this defense before leaving. They added a freakishly talented rookie in Kevin King. Their 2015 draft picks, Randall and Rollins, were good as rookies but injured in 2015. With all of that going on, I give them the edge over the Lions who have a great option in Darius Slay but really not much around him in terms of proven talent or high end potential (this likely has a lot to do with my low opinion of **** Tabor). The Bears bring up the rear with the solid but oft injured Amukamara playing across from the disappointing Kyle Fuller. The rest of the depth chart is fairly paltry.
- Vikings
- Packers
- Lions
- Bears
Safety: Cinton-Dix has developed into a very strong starter across from the steady, consistent presence of Burnett. There is also potential behind him in Kentrell Brice and rookie Josh Jones. The Vikings, while lacking the quality in both spots that the Packers boast, have one of the best safeties in the entire league in Harrison Smith. The Bears aren't anything special at safety, but Demps and Amos as both solid. Lastly, the Lions are fielding an aging Glover Quin and not much else.
- Packers
- Vikings
- Bears
- Lions
