Green Bay Packers
Last Season’s Record: 10-6
Positional Needs: CB, DE, RB
Despite the 10-6 record the Packers had their struggles during last season. Eddie Lacy struggled mightily in 2015 and all signs pointed toward a possible bounce-back year in 2016. That of course, did not happen and Lacy was placed on season-ending IR in October. The offense never seemed to click until the playoffs started where Ty Montgomery was seemingly getting 10 yards a clip. Aaron Rodgers willed his team to the playoffs and took care of business to get his team to the NFC title game. Statistically, the Packers were one of the best teams at stopping the run to open the season but that was because of an insanely easy schedule to open up the season (against RBs anyway). After that the defense began to look more and more like Swiss cheese. They had many injuries in the secondary so it is understandable how bad they were at stopping the pass, but they need help back there anyway as their starting unit is mediocre at best. For another perpetual playoff team, there seems to be trouble in paradise despite how they finished the season. There has been tension between the coaching staff and management and they haven’t been developing players well at all over the past couple of drafts. The Packer way is to hold off on signing big-ticket players through free-agency and grow their own talent during the draft. If they can grab a few starting-caliber players on the defensive side of the ball and maybe find a reliable running back, then everyone can R-E-L-A-X again in Green Bay.
The biggest need for the Packers this offseason is undoubtedly finding a running back. Ty Montgomery did well enough toward the latter part of the season with catching passes out of the backfield, but only found his groove in the playoffs. It would be very unwise for anyone to expect the same production he gave in the playoffs for all of next year. Christine Michael is the only other option for them right now, and he has been nothing but a disappointment so far in the NFL, based on his early-round selection. On the defensive side of the ball they need help in a lot of places. Clay Matthews seemed to have lost a step last year, but I suspect that is because he was asked to do so much with little help around him. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is also one of the premier young safeties in the league but he doesn’t have much else to work with either. Getting pressure on the opposing QB was the Packer’s biggest problem defensively last year. They could use a solid pass rusher or two to take some pressure off of the secondary. This is something I expect them to target early, as pass rushers have less of a learning curve than other defensive positions when it comes to the jump between the NCAA and the NFL; thus the player will be able to have the largest impact this season.
Detroit Lions
Last Season’s Record: 9-7
Positional Needs: DE, LB, WR
No Megatron? No problem. The Lions high octane offense lost one of the greatest WRs in NFL history last offseason and followed up with a great offensive showing and a defense that will only get better with more experience. At 9-7 the Lions snuck in as a Wild Card team but got steamrolled by a much more experienced Seattle Seahawks team. To be frank, the Lions have been generally bad since the turn of the century, having only two seasons over .500 since 2000, not including 2016. Their offense has been up and down, but, since the signing of Jim Bob Cooter as OC, Matthew Stafford has been able to limit the mistakes and has been getting the ball out of his hands quicker than ever. They have a mind-numbingly bad RBBC carousel as well for their backfield but having a good RB is less important than ever in today’s NFL. Let me back that up by saying that I still think having a solid RB can make or break a good team and that RBs still hold a lot of value, but if there is one position you are going to hold out on, it would likely be RB, even over TE. If the Lions can continue their offensive success, and their young defense can continue to make strides in a positive direction, this team is here to be a thorn in the Packer’s side for years to come.
Now, the Lions have one of the best defensive players in the league in Darius Slay, and he’s only 26 years old. They need to get another playmaker or two in that secondary while he is still in his prime, and this defense will be one of the better pass-defending units in the league. This will likely be lower on the team’s “to-do list” this offseason, but it is something to keep in mind during the draft. Haloti Ngata and Ezekiel Ansah are both pretty good players defensively but Ansah’s sack totals were drastically reduced in 2016 compared to 2015 and Ngata is getting up there in age. Getting someone else to rush the passer would do this defense a lot of good but more importantly, players who can stop the run are going to have the biggest impact on this defense. This starts with the linebackers. The Lions have one of the weakest LB cores in the NFL; something that is not going to be built over night. Look for them to attack the LB position early and often and to look to plug some of the smaller holes in their secondary and on their defensive line later in the draft.
Minnesota Vikings
Last Season’s Record: 8-8
Positional Needs: OL, DT, WR
The Vikings started off this season as one of the hottest teams in the league, only to get destroyed in the latter half of the season (much like the Falcons of 2015). Losing Teddy Bridgewater, the young QB you are building your offense around, and then starting off 5-0 was something nobody expected. That should have shown everyone how strong the rest of their team is, and can be, moving forward. Sam Bradford stepped in pretty well in his stead, but this should be Bridgewater’s team moving forward (the Vikings did give up their 1st round pick to the Eagles in 2017 for Bradford, just keep that in mind). The defense played stellar all season and looked to be almost as good at the Broncos in ’14 and ’15 over the 1st month of the season, but they also took a small step backward toward the end of the season. Stefon Diggs showed flashes of his 2015 form a few times in 2016 but the WR core is as lackluster as ever, especially since 1st round pick Laquon Treadwell didn’t make much of an impact (I don’t want anyone telling me Adam Thielen is good, wait until the end of the 2017 season and come back to me). The RB core will be missing AP this season but the signing of Latavius Murray should hold out pretty well in his absence. The defense was one of the best units all-around last year, especially in the secondary. The only place I see them bettering themselves is in the run-stopping department and drafting some younger guys to learn from their seasoned vets in the secondary.
Like I just said, the only place I see them getting better defensively is in stopping the run. Their LB core is already pretty good and young so they won’t need to make any changes there. What’s left is the defensive line. Linval Joseph was good with the Giants and has been even better with the stronger Vikings unit; besides him there really isn’t anyone opening any eyes on game day. The secondary is already amazing like I had previously mentioned. They should spend a few picks in the later rounds taking some players in the secondary who are athletically gifted but need to be shown the ropes before they are ready for NFL action. Offensively the Vikings are still sound, but there is definitely room for improvement. Bridgewater will have his 2nd season without AP this year, and the offense is going to look to him for answers. The running game needs to improve for this team to really take off but that isn’t due to a lack of talent in the backfield, it all starts with the O-line. I have always said that having a great OL isn’t simply having the best players, often times you just need some continuity between seasons so the guys of front get to learn each other’s tendencies better to keep the QB upright and the RB behind them churning his legs. I’m not saying a group of five bums would be able to protect Aaron Rodgers; you obviously need SOME talent there, but continuity year-to-year also makes a big impact on OL play. Another offseason should benefit this group of guys but they do need some help. Taking a few players early that fit their scheme should make a huge impact for their ground game in ’17.
Chicago Bears
Last Season’s Record: 3-13
Positional Needs: OL, CB, S, TE
B is the most important position in the NFL, maybe even in all of sports next to having a competent goalie in soccer or hockey. If you don’t believe me, look at the product the Bears have been putting on the field the last few seasons. Say what you want about Jay Cutler, he may not be a great leader (the QB doesn’t always have to be despite popular opinion), and he may make mistakes, but he was still a competent enough QB to play in the NFL for as long as he has been already. Once the Bears lost Cutler, their play was pretty bad. The lone bright spot on that offense was Jordan Howard, and we will see in 2017 if he is the real deal or not. The defense has been slipping seemingly more and more every year since their last Super Bowl berth and they may have hit an all-time low in 2016. With nowhere to go but up, the Bears will be using their draft picks on players who may not be NFL ready right now, but have the makings to be future NFL stars. There is some controversy surrounding this, however. When the Bears signed John Fox as their head coach, the expectation was that he would turn them around in only a few short years. Since his signing, the Bears have been worse and worse just about every year. The management, at least to the general public, has said that they have his back but if he puts out another poor product like last year, then this may be his last season in Chicago. With that in mind, the Bears do NOT have the talent on their roster to build around just yet; they still need another year or two of rebuilding to get a solid core that will carry them in the future. If they make mistakes during this draft, or if they actually win enough games to pull them out of the early 1st round in 2018, they may just be spinning their wheels and we will see this all again too soon.
Similarly to Cleveland, the Bears need a lot of help everywhere. There are three areas I think they are actually league average or better at and that is with their RB duo, the right side of the OL, and their LB core. Cody Whitehair and Kyle Long are both pro-bowl caliber players and Bobbie Massie held his own as well during the season. The left side of the line may be one of the worst in all of football though. I already mentioned Jordan Howard, but Jeremy Langford had a solid season in ‘15, and looked good as a compliment to Howard’s downhill running style in ’16. The LB core, including 2016 1st round pick Leonard Floyd, accompanied with Danny Trevathan and Lamarr Houston, can hold their own against many in the league. The only other bright spot I would pick out for this defense would be Akiem Hicks, their star defensive end. Having only one solid pass-rusher on the line won’t put the proverbial bread on the table for this defense. They will only make their money if they can buff one of the league’s worst secondaries and get better pass rushers to compliment Floyd and Hicks. The Bears offense is equally as bad. They signed Markus Wheaton from the Steelers who never fulfilled his expectations, and 1st round pick Kevin White has played two seasons from the IR slot on the team (where you don’t actually play because you’re injured). They have signed Mike Glennon, who is presumably a bet on a long-odds horse, hoping he either finds himself with Chicago and they win big, or he will fade away at the end of the race and the Bears lose nothing but a little money on him. They need a future QB to lead this team back to the success that Bears fans expect of their team, they need an entirely new left side of the O line, and they need an entirely new WR core. The Bears have a lot of room to grow; it all starts with the draft.
