The NFC North is in the midst of a makeover. The constant battle for division supremacy amongst some of the NFL’s flagship franchises hasn’t changed but some of the faces have.
The Chicago Bears are in Year 2 under coach Marc Trestman, the Detroit Lions have a new head coach in Jim Caldwell, and the Minnesota Vikings also have a new head coach in Mike Zimmer. The only constant is, the arguable, top dog in the division Green Bay Packers who continue be led by coach Mike McCarthy.
With a tough division being infused with new blood, let’s see what team scored the best draft grade coming out of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Chicago Bears
1.) Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
2.) Ego Ferguson, DT, LSU
3.) Will Sutton, DT, Arizona St.
4.) Ka’Deem Carey, RB, Arizona
4.) Brock Vereen, S, Minnesota
6.) David Fales, QB, San Jose St.
6.) Pat O’Donnell, P, Miami
7.) Charles Leno Jr., OT, Boise St.
Grade: B
Fuller is the perfect replacement to veteran Charles Tillman. He could play his rookie season as the team’s nickleback. Back-to-back defensive tackles Ferguson and Sutton are solid picks. The Bears are looking to use a heavy rotation along the defensive line and both should fit well into it. Sutton had 10.5 sacks in 2012 and Ferguson could develop into a top talent. Carey has serious talent, but also has serious red-flags off the field. Vereen gives depth to a thin and under-performing position.
Sleeper Pick: David Fales
A developmental prospect for quarterback guru, Trestman. Fales, only spent two years at San Diego State after transferring from Monterey Peninsula College; he attended University of Nevada before that. In his two seasons as a Spartan, he tallied 66 touchdowns to 22 interceptions and 8,382 yards with a 68.1% completion percentage.
Detroit Lions
1.) Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
2.) Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU
3.) Travis Swanson, C, Arkansas
4.) Nevin Lawson, CB, Utah St.
4.) Larry Webster, DE, Bloomsburg
5.) Caraun Reid, DT, Princeton
6.) T.J. Jones, WR, Notre Dame
7.) Nate Freese, K, Boston College
Grade: C+
The Lions like to draft best player available, that proves to be the case here. Ebron will backup vet Brandon Pettigrew and could be the pass catcher to Pettigrew’s blocking. Van Noy is a sideline-to-sideline ‘backer who will look to supplant Ashlee Palmer. Swanson, is a strong prospect who can develop and learn behind stalwart Dominic Raiola. The rest are roster fillers. Freese could prove to be valuable as David Aker was not brought back.
Sleeper Pick: Caraun Reid
The Ivy League prospect has a lot of valuable traits. A two-time All-American, he proved he could hold his own against top talent after a strong showing in the Senior Bowl. In his time at Princeton, Reid tallied 168 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks, and seven blocked kicks.
Green Bay Packers
1.) Haha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama
2.) Davante Adams, WR, Fresno St.
3.) Khyri Thornton, DT, Southern Miss
3.) Richard Rodgers, TE, Cal
4.) Carl Bradford, OLB, Arizona St.
5.) Corey Linsley, C, Ohio St.
5.) Jared Abbrederis, WR, Wisconsin
6.) Demetri Goodson, CB, Baylor
7.) Jeff Janis, WR, Saginaw Valley St.
Grade: B
GM Ted Thompson brings in another good haul of players. Clinton-Dix, hopefully, will be the answer they have long been looking for at safety. He should pair well with Morgan Burnett. The big knock against Adams entering the draft was that his impressive numbers were due to an air-it-out style offense and a strong quarterback in Derek Carr. Well he’s in an air-it-out style offense with a strong quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, so I’m sure he’ll work out fine. The third-round picks are boom-or-bust prospects but add needed depth at both positions, respectively. Bradford in the fourth-round is a steal. He should move inside in the pros.
Sleeper Pick: Jared Abbrederis
A walk on at Wisconsin, Abbrederis led the team in receptions the past two seasons. While he isn’t an explosive receiver, he is technically sound and has good size at 6’2″, 190lbs. Abbrederis ended his time as a Badger with career best numbers: 78 receptions for 1,081 yards.
Minnesota Vikings
1.) Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA
1.) Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
3.) Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon St.
3.) Jerick McKinnon, RB, Georgia Southern
5.) David Yankey, OG, Stanford
6.) Antone Exum, CB, Virginia Tech
6.) Kendall James, CB, Maine
7.) Shamar Stephen, DT, UConn
Grade: A-
Minnesota lands the first “A” draft grade. Their first three picks addressed major needs with top talent. Barr instantly upgrades the teams linebacking corps, a sore spot the last few seasons. Bridgewater, will marinate for a season behind Matt Cassel. He will be a terrific pro. Crichton is a beast on the edge. He isn’t a freakish athlete, but he beats down his opponents on shear will. He had 22.5 sacks and 51 tackles for loss in three seasons. McKinnon is a small back (5’9″) from a small school. He moved all over the field (quarterback, fullback, defensive back, and kick returner) before settling at running back. He’s still developing.
Sleeper Pick: David Yankey
Grabbing a top talent late in the draft is absolute dream come true. Questions arose about a shoulder injury but Yankey looks to be fully healthy. A versatile player, Yankey also played left tackle for the Cardinal. Adrian Peterson will be happy with this pick.
