2010 NFL Draft: Breaking Down the NFC North

With this year’s draft in the books it is time to start looking at how each of the teams did.  We already looked at the NFC East and the AFC East so now it is time to do the NFC North.

Chicago Bears

The Bears did not have any picks until the third round.  Their top pick in the draft, Florida safety Major Wright, is arguably a slight reach, but is a bit more versatile than the guys they have now and he was arguably the best safety on the board at the time.  Wright should compete for starting time at the safety position from day one.

Fourth round pick, Norhtwestern DE Corey Wootton, was a good value pick for the Bears and should give them some needed depth at the position.  Wootton was considered by many to be a low second to high third round prospect.

Fifth rounder Joshua Moore (Kansas State) will give some depth at corner but he is unlikely to challenge for a starting job any time soon.

Sixth round pick Dan LeFevour (QB, Central Michigan) fell dramatically after some puzzling moves during the post season workout season but he is seen as a guy who has good upside if he ever learns how to play in a pro style offense.  He could potentially be a steal in the draft three or four years down the road.

J’Marcus Webb a big offensive lineman out of West Texas A&M taken in the 7th round has the size to play in the NFL but is probably two or three years away from being a real contributor on offense for the Bears.

Grade: C.  They gain points for getting good value on Wootton and Wright should play next season, however, they failed to try and address the bigger needs of offensive line and wide receiver.  Would have liked to see them grab Taylor Price who was still on the board when they picked in the third round.

Detroit Lions

The Lions did some really nice things in this year’s draft.  Taking Ndamukong Suh with the second pick was pretty much a no-brainer.  They could not have gone wrong with Gerald McCoy or one of the big offensive tackles either.  Suh gives them someone to anchor the d-line for the next 10 years and someone to continue rebuilding the defense around.

The addition of California running back Jahvid Best is a very nice pickup for the Lions.  They needed another dynamic player in the offense to go along with Calvin Johnson.  Best gives them another home run hitter that defenses have to game plan for.  Best is arguably as versatile as C. J. Spiller and gives Matthew Stafford someone he can quickly dump the ball off to in the face of a blitz.

Second rounder Amari Spievey (CB, Iowa) will compete right away for playing time.  There is some thought that he could be moved to safety due to a lack of top end speed to be able to run with some of the faster receivers in the league.

Jason Fox (OT, Miami) is a potential steal in the fourth round if he develops as well as the Lions hope he will.  At the very least he will give the Lions needed depth at tackle as Jon Jansen is due to be put out to pasture.  He is not expected to challenge for a starting job right away but he has the skill set to potentially win the starting RT job in a year or two.

Seventh round picks Willie Young and Timothy Toone are seen as project players at DE and WR respectively and will likely be little more than special teamers.

Grade: A-.  They got one sure fire starter and two guys who should challenge for a starting job and at the very least make significant contributions next season.  They lose points for trading up into the first round to grab Best though.  They gave up a pick to move up four spots to grab Best and I really question whether they needed to do so.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers got the LT of the future when Iowa’s Bryan Bulaga fell into their laps.  Mike McCarthy was thrilled when Bulaga was sitting there at 23.  He should start right away for a team that allowed 57 sacks last season.

Green Bay reached tremendously when it grabbed Purdue DT Michael Neal in the second round.  He was widely seen as a fourth or fifth round prospect and he does not fill an immediate need for the Packers.  Bad pick for a team that has some real needs to address.

Safety Morgan Burnett (Georgia Tech) was a solid pick, possibly a slight reach here, but he should give them some needed youth and depth at the safety position.

Penn State TE Andrew Quarless, taken in the fifth, is a guy seen as someone who was a major under achiever in college, but has the skill set to be a quality TE in the NFL.

If he stays healthy sixth round select James Starks (Buffalo) could end up being a steal at running back for the Packers.  He has good size and above average speed to be a productive back in the NFL.

Grade: C+.  Bulaga is the only pick I like here.  They lose huge points for reaching on a player in the second round who fills no immediate needs for them.  They lose more points for not taking a corner, and Burnett does not fill an immediate need for them.  A somewhat puzzling draft really.  The Packers seemed more interested in grabbing guys who might be starters two or three years down the road as opposed to players who might fill immediate needs for them next season.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings traded out of the first round sending their first round pick to the Lions in exchange for their second round pick and a later round pick.  With their first pick the Vikings grabbed Virginia corner Chris Cook.  Maybe a slight reach here but the Vikings were wanting to upgrade the corner back position this spring.

With their other second rounder the Vikings grabbed Toby Gerhart to take the place of the recently departed Chester Taylor who signed with the Bears during the off season.  Gerhart gives them a nice between the tackles runner who can spell Adrian Peterson for 8 to 10 carries per game.  He will also serve as the team’s short yardage and goal line back.

Defensive end Everson Griffen does not fill an immediate need for the Vikes, but in the fourth round he was a solid value pick for them.  Many had Griffen as a potential first round selection and a solid second round prospect.  Griffen apparently fell due to questions about his effort during games.

Grade: B-.  They got three solid prospects who should contribute right away for them.  Cook could challenge for a starting job and Griffen will at least give them some depth in the defensive line rotation.  The lose some points for not looking at grabbing a safety or interior offensive lineman in lieu of a DE though.

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