Grading the NFC North’s 1st-round picks
The first round of the NFL draft has come to close, and majority of teams now have a new fresh face or two that they hope will help lead their franchise. The Lions and the rest of the NFC North had an interesting night and I’m here to breakdown how things went for the division on day 1 of the NFL draft.
Chicago Bears:
Traded 1st,3rd,4th round picks + 2018 3rd round pick for 49ers’ 1st round pick
Mitchell Trubisky, QB North Carolina
F
Chicago decided to make some Cleveland Browns-like decisions at the beginning of the first round. They dealt their third and fourth round pick, and their third next year to swap from third to second overall with the 49ers. They used the second overall pick on Mitch Trubisky, leaving Soloman Thomas to the 49ers.
There are a few things going on here.
First, if the 49ers were interested in picking Trubisky at #2, they would not have traded the pick. They would know what the Bears were going to do with that pick, and if they felt that the Bears were going to take the player they really wanted they would have just taken that player. Instead, they get the second best player in the draft in Soloman Thomas and a bonus of three draft picks.
Second, the Bears already gave Mike Glennon a $45 million deal a few months ago. If they did not see Glennon as their future then why would they give him such a large deal? If they expect Trubisky to compete with Glennon long term, then why deal so much away for him?
The Bears front office seems lost, and they quickly will have to right the ship.
Detroit Lions:
Jarrad Davis, LB Florida
B
The Lions had a desperate need at linebacker and they filled it in the first round. Not only is Davis an athletic monster, but he also brings leadership to a unit that looked lost last year. He is great in coverage and can also serve as a QB spy in some looks. Davis is a good replacement for the recently released DeAndre Levy.
Rueben Foster was available at 21 but an injury concern dropped him off of many draft boards. Davis has a few injury concerns himself, though. In the long run, the Lions are betting on Davis having a longer, better career, but it could come back to bite them.
Green Bay Packers
Traded 1st round pick to Browns for 2nd and 4th round picks
The Packers traded out of their lone first-round pick late in the night. Cleveland would end up taking David Njoku at 29, but it’s too early to tell if this was a good move for Green Bay. The Packers will lead off the second round.
Minnesota Vikings
Traded away 1st as part of package for Sam Bradford in 2016
After Teddy Bridgewater went down last season the Vikings made a desperate move to replace him. They dealt away multiple firsts in a package for the former #1 overall pick. They missed the playoffs in 2016, but largely due to an awful offensive line. Bridgewater is out again in 2017, and the Vikings will pray for a little more success this time around.
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