NFC North Insiders Discuss Free Agency, NFL Draft Possibilities

With the first round of the NFL Draft less than three weeks away, here’s a look at the offseason for the Packers, Lions, Vikings and Bears.

Work on the NFL Draft stage is underway outside of Lambeau Field. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The NFL Draft is three weeks away, with preparation underway on the corner of Lombardi Avenue and Oneida Street. With free agency largely complete, the draft will be the last big opportunity for teams to improve their rosters before they hit the field for OTAs in May.

Packers on SI’s Bill Huber was joined by his NFC North tag-team partners for offseason overviews of the Packers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

By Bill Huber, Green Bay Packers on SI

The Packers made a couple of huge splashes – at least financially – on Day 1 of free agency. Whether they will make the type of huge splashes needed to compete in the NFC North remains to be seen.

They made Aaron Banks the sixth-highest-paid guard in the NFL with a four-year, $77 million contract. It’s staggering money. A second-round pick in 2021, Banks started 43 of a possible 51 games the last three seasons. They’ll be bigger and stronger in the middle of the line with Banks at left guard and Elgton Jenkins sliding over to center to replace former starter Josh Myers, but they paid great-player money to a slightly above-average blocker.

They made Nate Hobbs the 21st-highest paid corner in the NFL with a four-year, $48 million contract. Again, it’s staggering money. Hobbs has played pretty well when he’s played, but injuries limited Hobbs to 11 games in 2022, 13 games in 2023 and 11 games in 2024. He didn’t even play half the snaps last season for the Raiders. So, the Packers essentially are replacing one injury-plagued cornerback (Jaire Alexander, presumably, will be traded or released) for another.

Including a Hail Mary thrown on former second-round speedster Mecole Hardman, the Packers are better than when last season ended. Did they improve enough to compete in the rugged NFC North? We’ll see.

The draft will be huge to fill the remaining holes. They badly need to add a receiver after last year’s youngsters underperformed and Christian Watson suffered a torn ACL. It was noteworthy that the Packers brought in Texas’ Matthew Golden for a visit after they met with him at the Scouting Combine and GM Brian Gutekunst attended his pro day.

The only significant free-agent loss was 340-pound defensive tackle TJ Slaton. Oregon’s Derrick Harmon would be a tremendous fit if he fell to No. 23. Along with those two positions, drafting another pass rusher, adding cornerback and upgrading the offensive line depth will be critical.

San Francisco 49ers guard Aaron Banks (65) before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium. Banks signed with the Packers in free agency. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

DETROIT LIONS

By John Maakaron, Detroit Lions on SI

The Lions remain one of the top contenders for the Lombardi Trophy, as a large amount of the talent that propelled them to a 15-2 finish and the top seed in the NFC remains under contract.

With extensions for key players such as Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph on the horizon this offseason, the Lions were calculated in their free agency decisions as they tried to plug holes that prevented them from making a deeper playoff run.

The big splash is the addition of cornerback D.J. Reed, who signed a three-year deal to replace the departed Carlton Davis. The defense was the primary target of the additions, with defensive tackle Roy Lopez and linebacker Grant Stuard also brought in on one-year deals.

Heading into the draft, the Lions could be looking for a premier pass rusher to pair with Hutchinson with their first-round pick. The offensive line could also be a target, as Kevin Zeitler's departure leaves a void at right guard. Detroit will have the benefit of being mostly healthy after injuries ravaged its defense a year ago, but nailing the draft will be important to continue general manager Brad Holmes' vision for sustained success.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) tackles Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33). | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

By Joe Nelson, Minnesota Vikings on SI

Before free agency, nobody would've guessed that wide receiver might be one of the top draft priorities for the Vikings, but here we are. Minnesota has rebuilt the interior of its offensive and defensive lines, upgraded at cornerback, paired Jordan Mason with Aaron Jones in the backfield, and found out that Harrison Smith will return for his 14th season. 

Where does that leave the Vikings? Arguably, the top needs are at wide receiver and left guard. One could also argue for defensive tackle, since Minnesota is banking on Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to avoid injuries and return to Pro Bowl form.

But if a quality receiver like Matthew Golden (Texas) or Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State) are available, the Vikings might pounce. Jordan Addison might be suspended to start the season for a DWI last summer, and Rondale Moore is coming back from a serious knee injury. Nobody cried when the Vikings had Cris Carter and Jake Reed and they drafted Randy Moss in 1998. 

At left guard, Blake Brandel and Michael Jurgens are the top two contenders, while the rest of the front is set after the Vikings gave Will Fries a massive contract to play at right guard and signed Ryan Kelly to replace Garrett Bradbury at center. Gray Zabel would be a great pick, and if left tackle/guard Kelvin Banks Jr. is there, he might be too talented to pass up. 

Cornerback? Maybe, but Minnesota loves Isaiah Rodgers, who the Vikings plucked out of free agency after he spent 2024 with the Super Bowl champion Eagles. Byron Murphy Jr. re-signed and 2023 second-round pick Mekhi Blackmon will be back from his season-ending ACL injury. The Vikings also added former No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah in free agency. Jahdae Barron would be a nice selection if he's available at 24, but cornerback no longer feels like a big priority. 

All of this leads to the conclusion that Minnesota is pretty likely to trade down and add picks unless a player they covet falls to them at 24. 

CHICAGO BEARS

By Gene Chamberlain, Chicago Bears on SI

The Bears like to think they've climbed into position from a 5-12 record to compete for a playoff spot after several key additions in free agency, but the conversion to a new offense, a new defense and with several new starters will require time on task, even with the better coaching they see Ben Johnson and staff providing.

Adding guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman completely altered an offensive line that gave up 68 sacks last year. It should improve their running game, which will provide the basis for Johnson’s play-action passing game. But the bottom line to it all will be how well they can improve Caleb Williams over the version they had as a rookie. He managed to cut back on mistakes but also didn't take enough gambles and they need the big plays.

With the draft looming, GM Ryan Poles has put them into position for numerous options because of the moves made in free agency. Adding Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo to the defensive line made this less of a need, just like the offensive line. The Bears will be looking for a power-style back, edge rush and safety help in the draft, or simply for more offensive line depth because Thuney is in the last year of his contract and left tackle Braxton Jones is, as well.