NFC North Roundtable: Irv Smith Jr. and One Surprise Player on the Packers, Bears, and Lions
For any NFL team to reach its full potential, there must be contributions from unheralded players who burst onto the scene and impress. A team's stars will get much of the attention, but it's the depth pieces and breakout players rounding out the lineup who separate great teams from good ones.
This summer, Fan Nation's four NFC North publishers — myself, Packer Central's Bill Huber, All Lions' John Maakaron, and Bear Digest's Gene Chamberlain — are running a 12-part roundtable series breaking down the state of the NFC North heading into the 2022 season.
For part seven, we each chose a player on the team we cover that we believe will surprise people this year.
Without further ado, here are our choices.
Minnesota Vikings: TE Irv Smith Jr.
Last year was supposed to be a breakout season for Smith, the Vikings' second-round pick out of Alabama in 2019. He was one of the team's best players during training camp, making plays all over the field during live reps. Heading into his third season, Smith was poised to take advantage of his first opportunity to be the Vikings' No. 1 tight end.
Then he tore his meniscus, ending his season before it started.
One year later, Smith is healthy and ready to have the breakout season he didn't get to have in 2021. Because he was one of the youngest players in his draft class, Smith is entering his fourth season and doesn't turn 24 until the week leading into the Vikings' first preseason game. All of the talent and athleticism that made him a second-round pick is still there, just waiting to be unleashed in Kevin O'Connell's offense.
Smith put up a 66/676/7 line across his first two seasons in the NFL, essentially splitting time down the middle with veteran Kyle Rudolph. But Rudolph departed before last season, and now Tyler Conklin is gone too. Smith stands alone as the only tight end on the Vikings' roster with more than ten career receptions. In a contract year, he's expected to be a crucial piece in O'Connell's passing game this year.
I'm a big believer in Smith's ability and the matchup problems he can cause as a 6'2", 240-pound pass-catcher with 4.6 speed. After flashing potential as a young player, this is the year Smith emerges as a dynamic weapon with Pro Bowl upside. — Will Ragatz, Inside the Vikings
Green Bay Packers: WR Amari Rodgers
It’s easy to overlook Rodgers. Trust me, I know through experience. Every time I sort through the contenders to help offset the loss of Davante Adams, I think about returning veterans Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. I think about veteran addition Sammy Watkins. And, of course, I consider the three draft picks: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure.
It’s easy to forget about Rodgers. The Packers essentially did last season, after all. After trading for Cobb at the start of training camp, the third-round pick’s rookie season was shoved to the back burner. He caught 4-of-8 passes for 45 yards, including zero during the eight games preceding Week 18. On punt returns, he made fielding kicks the equivalent of one of those choose-your-own-adventure stories.
But Rodgers was a productive player at Clemson, and the Packers moved up in the third round to get him for a reason. He knows the offense, and he feels more fit after dropping a few pounds in the offseason.
Cobb – his longtime mentor – remains on the roster and will start training camp as the No. 1 in the slot. Cobb probably will open the season as a primary player but look for Rodgers, who is nine years younger than Cobb, to get more opportunities as the season progresses because he’s a much bigger threat with the ball in his hands. It was an incredibly small skill-set but he used his powerful build and short-area speed to lead the team’s receivers in YAC per catch last season. — Bill Huber, Packer Central
Chicago Bears: LB Nicholas Morrow
Already Nicholas Morrow is surprising everyone as one of the Bears free agent acquisitions who hasn't been arrested this offseason.
In all seriousness, Morrow seems to be made to play in this role of middle linebacker for the Tampa-2 defense that the Bears are going to use under coach Matt Eberflus. He was a college defensive back and has 4.52 speed in the 40. He's within .01 seconds of Roquan Smith, whose speed has made him possibly the best inside linebacker in the division. Linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi points out that both Smith and Morrow play with that kind of speed and it's not merely a stop watch time.
Morrow can play any linebacker spot. So if the Bears choose to switch Smith from weak side to the middle, Morrow could go to the weak spot and make plays, or he could even play strong side with an emphasis on covering tight ends. But they're using him now in the middle.
With the Raiders, Morrow played in this style of defense and made 20 pass defenses in four seasons, or three more than Smith, who was second-team All-Pro the last two seasons. Morrow could have even more at this point but missed last season with a preseason ankle injury, one which has long-since healed.
The idea for the new Bears defensive scheme is to create more takeaways, especially interceptions. The Bears tied a franchise record low of eight interceptions last year, although the record they tied was for 16 games and this was for 17. Morrow could have a key part in changing all this. If it happens, and the Bears ever settle their offensive line issues, they could make more noise in the NFC North than people expect. — Gene Chamberlain, Bear Digest
Detroit Lions: DB Will Harris
Defensive back Will Harris is being asked by the coaching staff to change positions and play cornerback in 2022.
Drafted back in 2019 in the third round, Harris has struggled to perform at a high level at the safety position. During the recently completed organized team activities and minicamp, Harris played alongside the first-team defense, as Jeff Okudah has been working his way back from an Achilles injury suffered at the beginning of last season.
The 26-year-old appeared to adapt well to the switch in positions, as he was observed making plays and being in position for the majority of practice reps he was playing on the outside.
If he indeed earns a position playing nickel cornerback, Harris will have an opportunity to turn his career around. While he was forced into playing cornerback last season, he has embraced the opportunity to make plays in Aaron Glenn's defense.
"I was able to get a lot of exposure toward the end of last year, just playing strictly corner, and I feel comfortable doing that. That's another spot where I think I can just continue getting better and continue to learn all the intricacies of playing corner and wearing that hat," Harris recently said. "Obviously, being out in more space and facing some of the guys on the outside, I love it. It's pure competition out there and that's what you want to be, to go out and compete." — John Maakaron, All Lions
Previous NFC North roundtables:
- Offensive and Defensive MVPs for each team
- Each team's biggest offseason addition and loss
- The most overrated player on each team
- The must underrated player on each team
- The best-case scenario for each team in 2022
- The worst-case scenario for each team in 2022
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