NFC North Insiders: All-Offense Team Led by Aaron Rodgers

Our preseason all-NFC North team includes three members of the Green Bay Packers and eight unanimous selections.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jul 23, 2022 9:00 AM EDT

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The power of Aaron Rodgers, and the theory that a premier quarterback can dominate regardless of circumstances, will be put to the test this season.

Our NFC North insiders – Bill Huber of Packer Central, Will Ragatz of Inside the Vikings, Gene Chamberlain of Bear Digest and John Maakaron of All Lions – are concluding our 12-part series of division previews with our All-NFC North teams. Our 11-man offense – we’re going with ‘11’ personnel with one running back, one tight end and three receivers – includes only three Packers.

One is Rodgers. The others are offensive linemen David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins, premier blockers who are coming off torn ACLs.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, by contrast, will direct an offense with four all-North players, including three skill-position players. Even the Lions have more all-North offensive players (four) than the Packers on offense.

What about the Bears? Well, at least they’ve got a good kicker.

With that, here is our preseason all-NFC North offensive team. The all-NFC North defensive team will be revealed on Sunday.

All-NFC North Offense

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Packers (unanimous)

Rodgers, who has won back-to-back MVPs and four overall, is No. 1 in NFL history with a 4.83 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes (4.08), Russell Wilson (3.36) and Tom Brady (3.07) are the only quarterbacks at 3.00 or better. How dominant is Rodgers in this category? If he were to start this season with 16 interceptions and zero touchdowns, he’d still be ahead of Mahomes.

Running back: Dalvin Cook, Vikings (unanimous)

After injuries plagued his first two seasons, Cook has stayed healthy for at least 13 games in each of the last three years and has established himself as one of the NFL’s elite running backs with 4,955 total yards. He shines with a combination of vision, burst, agility, and power. Cook should be in line for another big season in 2022, perhaps with a larger receiving role in Kevin O’Connell’s offense.

Receiver: Justin Jefferson, Vikings (unanimous)

Mike Zimmer didn’t put Jefferson in the starting lineup until Week 3 of his rookie year in 2020. The then-21-year-old broke out with an incredible 175-yard game that day and hasn’t looked back. He leads all players in receiving yards over the last two seasons and is at or near the top in almost every advanced metric among receivers. Jefferson is a true young superstar who is already the face of the Vikings’ franchise.

Receiver: Adam Thielen, Vikings

It’s been a while since Thielen put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2017 and 2018. He hasn’t gotten back to the 1K mark since then, as injuries and age have limited his production. Where he has continued to dominate is in the red zone; Thielen is one of four receivers with 30 receiving TDs since 2019. During that period, he’s dropped only eight passes.

Slot receiver: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions (unanimous)

The younger brother of former Packers receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, really started to shine during the second half of his rookie season. His reception in the end zone against the Vikings gave coach Dan Campbell his first victory. His 90 receptions trailed only Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle among rookies, and he finished the season with eight catches for 109 yards and one touchdown against Green Bay.

Tight end: T.J. Hockenson, Lions

The eighth pick of the 2019 draft, it’s time for Hockenson to take the next step in his career following back-to-back seasons of 60-plus catches. Quarterback Jared Goff will be relying on Hockenson to stay healthy to provide another option in the passing game. New offensive coordinator Ben Johnson should have ample opportunity to unlock his potential, as he previously served as the team's tight ends coach.

Left tackle: David Bakhtiari, Packers (unanimous)

Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro, suffered a torn ACL on New Year’s Eve 2020. Would the Packers have reached the Super Bowl had he been on the field for the NFC title game against Tampa Bay? And would have last season ended differently had Bakhtiari made a successful comeback from the injury? When he last played in 2020, he gave up one sack.

Guard: Elgton Jenkins, Packers (unanimous)

Jenkins is another member of the Packers’ ACL Club. A Pro Bowl guard in 2020, he slid out to left tackle to replace Bakhtiari last season. In the process, Jenkins solidified his standing as one of the best linemen in the NFL. However, he suffered a torn ACL at Minnesota in November. When he’s healthy, he could return to guard or play right tackle.

Center: Frank Ragnow, Lions (unanimous)

The Lions’ offensive line unit has received plenty of praise this offseason. It is expected that Ragnow and Co. will gel quickly to protect Jared Goff and open holes for the speedy D'Andre Swift. Ragnow is a top player at his position, so his presence was felt the 13 games he missed after foot surgery. In 17 games the past two seasons, he allowed zero sacks.

Guard: Cody Whitehair, Bears; Jonah Jackson, Lions (tie)

Whitehair is the only Bears lineman who has been in the Pro Bowl, although it was at center in 2018 and not left guard where he is now. He allows an average of less than three sacks a year, and Pro Football Focus has graded him as high as an 87.5 but no lower than a 64.9 as a blocker throughout his career.

I was genuinely surprised the other insiders placed votes for Jackson. He made strides in Year 2 but, while he allowed only two sacks, but still allowed 35 pressures. His skills should greatly benefit the run game, which Dan Campbell wants to keep improving. If Jackson is able to continue his development as a pass protector, he could earn another Pro Bowl nod in 2022.

Right tackle: Brian O’Neill, Vikings (unanimous)

The Vikings haven’t had a homegrown offensive lineman like O’Neill in quite some time. He’s the definition of a steady and reliable at right tackle. Last season, he allowed one sack and constantly using his athleticism and technique to create holes in the running game. O’Neill made the Pro Bowl last year, making him the first Vikings OL to receive that honor in nearly a decade.

Kicker: Cairo Santos, Bears

Santos set the Bears’ record for field-goal accuracy in 2020 at 93.8 percent (30-of-32). Including last season, when he made 26-of-30, his two-year mark for Chicago is a lofty 89.1 percent. He made a run at the NFL record for consecutive field goals of 44 held by Adam Vinatieri, hitting 40 straight before a 2021 miss. He’s doing this outdoors and at one of the league’s worst facilities for kickers.