NFL Draft Grades: NFC North
With the 2020 NFL Draft officially complete, theScore's NFL editors hand out their initial grades for how teams fared over the course of the three-day event.
NFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
AFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
Chicago Bears
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 43 | TE Cole Kmet |
| 2 | 50 | CB Jaylon Johnson |
| 5 | 155 | DE Trevis Gipson |
| 5 | 163 | CB Kindle Vildor |
| 5 | 173 | WR Darnell Mooney |
| 7 | 226 | G Arlington Hambright |
| 7 | 227 | G Lachavious Simmons |
Grade: C
Without a first-round pick due to the Khalil Mack trade, the Bears prioritized adding a tight end despite already having nine others on their roster (including the recently signed Jimmy Graham). Kmet could eventually emerge as the best of the bunch, and adding another weapon to help reorient Mitchell Trubisky's developmental trajectory was a priority, so it's difficult to criticize the pick too heavily. Johnson's name was included in many first-round mock drafts, so he represents a value pick on Day 2.
Detroit Lions
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | CB Jeff Okudah |
| 2 | 35 | RB D'Andre Swift |
| 3 | 67 | DE Julian Okwara |
| 3 | 75 | OL Jonah Jackson |
| 4 | 121 | OL Logan Stenberg |
| 5 | 166 | WR Quintez Cephus |
| 5 | 172 | RB Jason Huntley |
| 6 | 197 | DT John Penisini |
| 7 | 235 | DT Jashon Cornell |
Grade: B
Reports suggested the Lions tried hard to trade back from No. 3 in Round 1, but in the end they took a cornerback with the potential to be a true shutdown player. Running back wasn't an obvious need considering the Lions' already-crowded backfield, but perhaps Swift's upside was simply too great to pass up on Day 2 - some experts pegged him as a first-round talent. Okwara joins his older brother Romeo in Detroit in one of the draft's more heartwarming stories, and should also provide a desperately needed boost to the Lions' feeble pass-rushing unit.
Green Bay Packers
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | QB Jordan Love |
| 2 | 62 | RB AJ Dillon |
| 3 | 94 | TE Josiah Deguara |
| 5 | 175 | LB Kamal Martin |
| 6 | 192 | G Jon Runyan |
| 6 | 208 | C Jake Hanson |
| 6 | 209 | G Simon Stepaniak |
| 7 | 236 | DB Vernon Scott |
| 7 | 242 | DE Jonathan Garvin |
Grade: D
Aaron Rodgers needs receiving weapons, but the Packers didn't use a single pick at the position in the deepest wideout class in a generation. If that wasn't enough to anger the notoriously testy quarterback, watching his successor drafted in the first round can't possibly sit well. While Rodgers is no longer in the conversation as the best passer in football, he took the Packers to within one game of the Super Bowl last season and seems to have a few years left in him, so it could be a while before the Packers see any return on their Love investment. Maybe that's the plan; the supremely talented but maddeningly raw Love needs lots of development after leading the nation in interceptions in 2019. The Dillion pick's also puzzling, as he projects merely as a two-down player and likely backup to Aaron Jones.
Minnesota Vikings
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | WR Justin Jefferson |
| 1 | 31 | CB Jeff Gladney |
| 2 | 58 | OT Ezra Cleveland |
| 3 | 89 | CB Cameron Dantzler |
| 4 | 117 | DE D.J. Wonnum |
| 4 | 130 | DE James Lynch |
| 4 | 132 | LB Troy Dye |
| 5 | 169 | CB Harrison Hand |
| 5 | 176 | WR K.J. Osborn |
| 6 | 203 | G Blake Brandel |
| 6 | 205 | S Josh Metellus |
| 7 | 225 | DE Kenny Willekes |
| 7 | 244 | QB Nate Stanley |
| 7 | 249 | S Brian Cole II |
| 7 | 253 | G Kyle Hinton |
Grade: B+
Following trades back with the 49ers and Saints, the Vikings added 11 players on Day 3 of the draft to bring their 2020 rookie class to a staggering total of 15 players. The headliners here are first-rounders Jefferson and Gladney, who each represent solid value and fill crucial needs for the Vikings. There aren't many potential stars in the rest of this crop, but there's value dotted throughout and it's likely that several of these players will carve out a useful role.