The NFL draft has come and gone, and as a result teams are now looking ahead to their first chance to work with their new prospects at rookie minicamp.
In the NFC North, each of the four teams has aspirations of reaching the postseason. As a result, the draft afforded them an opportunity to add key pieces and help them achieve that goal.
Here is where each team in the NFC North stands following the NFL draft, with insight from OnSI publishers across the division.
Most intriguing player: The Lions gave up three total third-round picks over this year and next to go get Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa. He's an easy player to root for amongst the fan base as a local product who began his college career at Hillsdale. However, he didn't have eye-popping production at Arkansas and there are concerns that his standout testing numbers may not translate. If he's able to unlock his physical gifts, the Lions will reap big rewards.
The good and the bad: Detroit's front office faces a challenge much different than when it first started. Instead of picking early, the Lions are now forced to try to find standouts at the end of the first round. As a result, the overall class was solid given the fact that each of their first four picks could be instant contributors. They may have waited too long to find an EDGE, but Brad Holmes has made it perfectly clear he will not reach, regardless of position. It was a trademark Lions draft, as they got stronger in the trenches and took a chance on a high-upside talent at a skill position. — John Maakaron, Lions OnSI.
Most intriguing player: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, DL, Georgia. This pick is quite exciting because this Vikings front office has had a knack for finding undersized talent in the late rounds or even as undrafted signees. Ivan Pace Jr. was one of the best linebackers in the country at Cincinnati before going undrafted, and he was an instant impact starter in the middle of Minnesota's defense. Ingram-Dawkins fits the undersized bill as a bit of a tweener playing on the defensive line. At 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, he doesn't fit the bill of a modern monster at defensive tackle, but the Vikings will be able to develop him into a versatile player who can rush from the edge and use his elite athletic traits to put pressure on quarterbacks from the interior. There's no rush to play him since Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen and Harrison Phillips will command the snaps in 2025.
The good and the bad: Getting Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton in the third round could be a steal. He's lightning-quick with explosive return traits. If Jalen Nailor doesn't make another jump in 2025, Felton could have the inside track to WR3. That could be a WR2 role right away since Jordan Addison could be facing a three-game suspension to start the season.
We're also waiting way too long to address the first-round pick, Donovan Jackson. He's an instant starter at left guard and should secure the final weak spot on Minnesota's offensive line. If he's legit, the Vikings will offer excellent pass protection for J.J. McCarthy while also having potential to dominate on the ground with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason toting the rock.
The only bad part of the draft was the limited number of picks. Minnesota entered the draft with four picks and left it with five. The risk is that none of their picks are guaranteed to succeed, and that's dangerous for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who is on a lame-duck contract and completely whiffed on his first draft three years ago. — Joe Nelson, Vikings OnSI.
Most intriguing player: While Matthew Golden got the hype as the team picked a receiver in the first round for the first time since 2002, fellow receiver Savion Williams could be a big-time difference-maker.
A scout called him “Deebo Samuel-light,” though there’s nothing light about the 6-foot-4, 222-pound former TCU star. There’s nothing slow, either, with 4.47 speed. Williams is unpolished as a route-runner. His hands are suspect. But he was a tackle-breaking, playmaking machine as a receiver and runner, with power, athleticism and a wicked open-field spin move. “The only thing that limits you in terms of your creativity is your imagination,” coach Matt LaFleur said.
Williams should be an immediate weapon on screens and jet sweeps. Because of his talent, he should impact the game even when he doesn’t get the ball.
The good and the bad: The Packers desperately needed to upgrade their receiver corps. Green Bay’s end-of-season offensive funk coincided with Christian Watson’s knee injuries. While not a premier player, his elite combination of size and speed had to be accounted for by defenses, which opened things underneath.
Golden should help fix that. With 4.29 speed in the 40, he was the fastest receiver in the draft. At 5-foot-11, he doesn’t have Watson’s imposing size but he’s a more polished player. With Golen’s big-play ability and Williams unique skill-set, Jordan Love should have plenty of options alongside receivers Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks and tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave.
The second-round pick, offensive lineman Anthony Belton, was deemed a reach by the pundits but he fits with Green Bay’s desire to play with size and physicality up front.
The problem is the defense was largely unaddressed. The pass rush wasn’t good enough last season; the Packers added Barryn Sorrell, who had decent production at Texas, and Collin Oliver, who had great production at Oklahoma State but is undersized. The only cornerback was a seventh-round flier on Tulane’s Micah Robinson. — Bill Huber, Packers OnSI.
Most intriguing player: First-round tight end Colston Loveland is intriguing down to his core mainly because of his head coach's creativity. Second-round wide receiver Luther Burden III normally might rate even or as a more exciting pick because of his great speed and elusiveness as a slot receiver. But the fact coach Ben Johnson has a history of running 12-personnel with two tight ends, and now has two quality tight ends to do it with, has stirred up great anticipation he'll devise new ways to use Loveland and veteran Cole Kmet. Loveland's toughness and ability to get downfield give him the role of the move-tight end to Kmet's Y- or in-line spot. Loveland also has the quickness to be a slot receiver.
The good and the bad: The obvious bad is the Bears didn't draft a running back until Round 7. Although they like seventh-rounder Kyle Monangai from Rutgers as a smaller, power type, he wasn't a Day 1 or 2 pick. The other bad was they failed to come up with a legitimate edge rusher, although their third second-round pick, Shemar Turner, had his best season when he was a Texas A&M edge in 2023. Turner, though, earned rave reviews for the pressure he generated rapidly off the snap as a three-technique last year and they'll start him out backing up there and as part of a regular pass rush rotation.
The good was Burden's explosiveness as a player who really should have been taken in Round 1 and can do many of the things Johnson did with Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit. In fact, he's faster (4.41 in the 40) than St. Brown (4.51). Fundamentally sound 6-foot-8 tackle Ozzy Trapilo should compete for left tackle and could eventually take the spot from Braxton Jones while they found extra depth at guard in Round 6 with Michigan State's Luke Newman. The goal was increasing defensive speed and they did this with fourth-round linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II from Maryland and Texas State cornerback Zah Frazier in Round 5. — Gene Chamberlain, Bears OnSI.
