A LOOK AT HOW THE FIRST ROUND OF THE NFL DRAFT WENT FOR THE NFC NORTH
Even before the events of the first night of the 2024 NFL Draft, the NFC North was already shaping up to be a very competitive division.
However, some of the division's teams are viewed by many as among the day's biggest winners, kicking the competition up yet another notch.
Let's take a look at how each team in the division fared on the first day of the draft and how their newest players might impact their outlooks for the 2024 season.
Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams | QB | 1st Overall Pick | USC
Rome Odunze | WR | 9th Overall Pick | Washington
Neither of Chicago's picks were particularly surprising, but it's hard to consider the Bears anything other than enormous winners. They were nowhere near the league's worst team, yet due to a shrewd trade a year ago, they had the ability to pick a generational quarterback talent in Caleb Williams.
The offensive situation in Chicago was already solid for Williams, with an underrated offensive line, a great wideout duo in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, solid tight end play from Cole Kmet and a new coordinator in Shane Waldron.
Even so, just a few picks later, the Bears were able to land Washington's Rome Odunze, a highly polished and pro-ready receiver who should immediately be one of the league's best third options. Paired with an ascendant defense, which retained Jaylon Johnson this offseason, the new-look offense makes the Bears a real worst-to-first contender in the North.
Minnesota Vikings
J.J. McCarthy | QB | 10th Overall Pick | Michigan
Dallas Turner | EDGE | 17th Overall Pick | Alabama
With Williams in Chicago, Jared Goff experiencing a revival in Detroit and Jordan Love on the rise in Green Bay, the last thing the Vikings wanted was to fall behind at the quarterback position.
Many thought they'd use their two first-round picks to move into the top five to select a quarterback, but they were able to stay almost put, moving up just a spot from 11 to 10, and still snagged J.J. McCarthy, a highly intelligent national champion with an undeniable skillset.
Since the Vikings didn't need to move their second first-round pick in order to secure McCarthy, they were able to make another small move up to grab Alabama's Dallas Turner, bolstering another major position of need.
Minnesota could very well be the biggest winner of day one after snagging two players who were picked a good bit lower than projected and should be right back in the mix in the NFC North with one of the most loaded offenses in the sport.
Detroit Lions
Terrion Arnold | CB | 24th Overall Pick | Alabama
Anyone who watched the 2023 Lions knows that their secondary was the team's biggest weakness.
Knowing this, general manager Brad Holmes clearly prioritized improving the position group as he made a move up to the 24th pick to select Arnold, yet another great value pick for the North.
He was graded as the 14th-best overall prospect by Pro Football Focus and impressed plenty of evaluators as he competed with some of the country's best receivers in the SEC. He should be an immediate difference-maker for Detroit as it looks to defend its historic division crown.
Green Bay Packers
Jordan Morgan | OT | 25th Overall Pick | Arizona
While the Packers did address a position of need with their first round selection, they went in a different direction than many may have expected in terms of the specific player.
Duke's Graham Barton or Oklahoma's Tyler Guyton would likely have been less surprising than Morgan, who certainly has high-end potential but is seen as less of a sure thing due to his measurable strength numbers.
That being said, Green Bay has a good track record of developing line talent, and an investment in protecting its franchise quarterback, Love, is likely a wise decision.
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- Bears are giving Caleb Williams one of NFL's best WR groups
- Vikings trade up to select new franchise QB with No. 10 pick
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