The 2019 NFC Draft is now only five weeks away and with the bulk of the Free Agency trades out of the way the draft order is starting to sort itself out. Below is the current order for the NFL North teams together with areas we think they still need to address.
The Bears had a great 2018, and still have a loaded roster, fortunately as their draft pick cupboard is bare! Not picking until late in the third round means that they are unlikely to grab a game changer, however there may still be a decent pass rusher or safety hanging around.
The Lions have three picks in the top 88 so will be able to add some nice pieces to the roster, and have an extra couple of late round picks which could be used for developmental projects. Signing Jesse James means that they don’t need to use the top picks on a tight end and instead can look at strengthening the offensive line or their backfield. Picking up a running back or two late in the draft may also be an idea.
The Packers have already been busy in free agency, upgrading their linebacking corps and strengthening the backfield with the acquisition of Adrian Amos from Chicago. Both cornerbacks drafted last year have panned out, but lack of a decent pass rush and questionable depth at wide receiver hurt them. With seven picks in the top 150 there well-positioned to move up the board if they need to and we will be very surprised if they don’t use one of their first-round picks on a tight end, with T.J. Hockenson the most likely target with the 12th pick. They could also do with an additional edge rusher and some more depth at wide receiver.
The Vikings starting the 2018 season as one of the favourites for the Super Bowl, however as so often happens things just didn’t work out. They look set at quarterback with Kirk Cousins who had a better season in 2018 than he had with Washington the year before, despite having a less than effective offensive line in front of him. With several good offensive linemen available this year we are pretty confident that they will be taking one in the first round.
