Ranking every NFC North team's NFL draft class: Vikings' big swing, Bears' big miss

The 2026 NFL season is still a long way away, but it feels safe to say that no division is more wide open entering Week 1 than the NFC North. Even the best divisions in football typically have at least one team in rebuilding mode, or at least a cut below the rest. But the North stands alone for the simple fact that it wouldn't be surprising if any of the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings took home the division crown when all is said and done.

Which makes nailing the NFL Draft all the more important. When the margins are this narrow, the right rookie in the right spot can be the difference between a loss and a win — and winning the division or missing the playoffs entirely. Whose class will emerge when next season is all said and done? That's what we're here to figure out.

4. Chicago Bears

• Round 1, pick 25: S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
• Round 2, pick 57: C Logan Jones, Iowa
• Round 3, pick 69: TE Sam Roush, Stanford
• Round 3, pick 89: WR Zavion Thomas, LSU
• Round 4, pick 124: CB Malik Muhammad, Texas
• Round 5, pick 166: LB Keyshaun Elliott, Arizona State
• Round 6, pick 213: DT Jordan van den Berg, Georgia Tech

I don't want this to come across too harshly; really, I wouldn't label any NFC North draft class as outright bad. I like several of the players Chicago came away with, starting with Thieneman, whom just about nobody expected to still be around at pick No. 25 overall — and whom I certainly don't blame the Bears for taking in that spot, given the turnover in their secondary this offseason.

But beefing up the front seven was arguably item No. 1 for Ryan Poles entering the weekend, and he left that unit more or less untouched save for a couple of Day 3 fliers. Some of that simply comes down to how the board fell in front of the Bears, and I think Logan Jones and Sam Roush are good players who fill clear needs. Still, taking a blocking tight end at No. 69 and reaching for Thomas at No. 89 loom large given Chicago's needs elsewhere. Not a terrible class by any means, but one the team could regret in a few months' time.

3. Green Bay Packers

• Round 2, pick 50: CB Brandon Cisse, South Carolina
• Round 3, pick 77: DT Chris McClellan, Missouri
• Round 4, pick 120: EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State
• Round 5, pick 153: C/G Jager Burton, Kentucky
• Round 6, pick 201: CB Domani Jackson, Alabama
• Round 6, pick 216: K Trey Smack, Florida

If we were ranking by pure value, it would be tough to put the Packers too highly, given the limited capital they started off with. But for what Brian Gutekunst had to work with, I think they did quite well, letting the board come to them and drafting good players at their biggest positions of need.

An upgrade at cornerback to take pressure off Carrington Valentine? Cisse was great value at that spot and has all the physical traits you want from a boundary corner. Another defensive tackle to shore things up in the wake of Devonte Wyatt's injury and Colby Wooden's departure? Chris McClellan should help immensely in run defense. More pass-rush juice to challenge Lukas Van Ness for snaps? Dennis-Sutton was a steal at No. 120. Oh, and Jager Burton's versatility should do wonders to help offset all the transition that this offensive line has undergone this offseason. It wasn't flashy, but it sure was effective, even if I would've loved a developmental swing at one of the skill spots rather than drafting a kicker.

2. Detroit Lions

• Round 1, pick 17: OT Blake Miller, Clemson
• Round 2, pick 44: EDGE Derrick Moore, Michigan
• Round 4, pick 118: LB Jimmy Rolder, Michigan
• Round 5, pick 157: CB Keith Abney II, Arizona State
• Round 5, pick 168: WR Kendrick Law, Kentucky
• Round 6, pick 205: DT Skyler Gill-Howard, Texas Tech
• Round 7, pick 222: EDGE Tyre West, Tennessee

Brad Holmes sure has a type. This is a Lions draft with a capital L, starting with Miller, who isn't the flashiest or the most tooled-up but might just be the steadiest tackle prospect in this class — a guy with polished technique who's simply solid week after week. Moore fits Detroit's EDGE requirements to a T thanks to his massive frame and strong hands, and getting Abney after pick No. 150 was a huge break that should do wonders for a secondary that still can't rely on Terrion Arnold.

It wasn't all perfect. I wasn't wild about the Rolder pick at that spot, and Law has a long way to go before he has a shot to emerge as a viable YAC guy at the NFL level. Still, I'd be shocked if the Lions didn't come away with at least three starting-caliber players at positions of real need here, and that's a win.

1. Minnesota Vikings

• Round 1, pick 18: DT Caleb Banks, Florida
• Round 2, pick 51: LB Jake Golday, Cincinnati
• Round 3, pick 82: DT Domonique Orange, Iowa State
• Round 3, pick 97: OT Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern
• Round 3, pick 98: S Jakobe Thomas, Miami
• Round 5, pick 159: FB Max Bredeson, Michigan
• Round 5, pick 163: CB Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin
• Round 6, pick 198: RB Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest
• Round 7, pick 235: C Gavin Gerhardt, Cincinnati

Look, I get it. How you feel about Minnesota's draft largely depends on how you feel about Banks, whom the team took a massive swing on — passing up other, cleaner fits like Thieneman in order to reach for a defensive tackle with a history of foot issues. But while I certainly acknowledge the risk, I happen to love the pick: Sure, Banks' health is a concern, but his film when healthy at Florida in 2024 was just that good, and a guy who moves like that at that size is exactly the sort of disruptive force this Vikings front needs. Thieneman or someone else would've been perfectly understandable, but sometimes you need to go big or go home.

And beyond Banks, I think the Vikings did great work here overall. Golday isn't for everybody, but he sure feels like he's got some Andrew Van Ginkel in his game, capable of toggling between both linebacker and edge rusher depending on what Brian Flores asks of him. Orange is the floor to Banks' ceiling, a tremendous run defender with more juice on passing down than you think, while Tiernan was excellent value as Minnesota guards against Christian Darrisaw's injury history and Brian O'Neill's looming free agency. This class will largely be defined by whether and to what extente Banks hits; I like the process, though, and there are a lot of good players here for a cap-strapped team that needs them.

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