The dust has settled on the 2023 NFL Draft and it is time to look back at every team’s haul to assess how they did. The NFC North is a division in flux and the draft classes of the four teams tell us a lot about what they think of themselves for 2023 and beyond. Here are my grades for each team.
Chicago Bears
| Pick | Player |
| 1.10 | Darnell Wright – OT, Tennesssee |
| 2.53 | Gervon Dexter – IDL, Florida |
| 2.56 | Tyrique Stevenson – CB, Miami |
| 3.64 | Zacch Pickens – IDL, South Carolina |
| 4.115 | Roschon Johnson – RB, Texas |
| 4.133 | Tyler Scott – WR, Cincinnati |
| 5.148 | Noah Sewell – LB, Oregon |
| 5.165 | Terell Smith – CB, Minnesota |
| 7.218 | Travis Bell – IDL, Kennesaw State |
| 7.258 | Kendall Williamson – S, Stanford |
The Bears kicked things off with a very solid selection in Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright. He should fill in at right tackle from day one and his play strength and mean streak fit well in a Bears offense that want to dominate opponents with their running game. The question here surrounds their decision to trade down and allow the Eagles to get perhaps the best non-quarterback in the class in Jalen Carter. Only time will tell if that was a smart move but it generally doesn’t pay to pass up on blue chip prospects.
It is fair to say that the rest of their draft was a mixed bag. Gervon Dexter is a risky pick but one that offers high reward and who has all of the tools to be a dominant interior defender. Stevenson and Pickens both felt a little early for the talent they had shown on tape but the selection of Roschon Johnson in the fourth was excellent. Do not be surprised if he has the biggest impact of the Bears’ rookie class – he could very plausibly become the leader of this backfield fairly early on.
Grade: B
Detroit Lions
| Pick | Player |
| 1.12 | Jahmyr Gibbs – RB, Alabama |
| 1.18 | Jack Campbell – LB, Iowa |
| 2.34 | Sam LaPorta – TE, Iowa |
| 2.45 | Brian Branch – S, Alabama |
| 3.68 | Hendon Hooker – QB, Alabama |
| 3.96 | Brodric Martin – IDL, Western Kentucky |
| 5.152 | Colby Sorsdal – OT, William & Mary |
| 6.219 | Antoine Green – WR, North Carolina |
This is a draft that has got everyone talking. The Lions’ decision to take Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 overall was a shock and predictably started plenty of conversations around positional value. That continued with the selection of Jack Campbell at No. 18 overall. Whilst both are good players, these picks seemed premature not just because of positional value but because of the other positions of need on the Lions’ roster that they neglected to address.
Things improved massively on day two though and the Lions found a pair of steals in the second round in Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch. Both should be starters from day one and have the potential to develop into stars at their respective positions. The selection of Hendon Hooker resulted in even more chatter, but with Jared Goff having just two years left on his deal it makes sense to find a potential successor whose college tape was very impressive.
Grade: B
Green Bay Packers
| Pick | Player |
| 1.13 | Lukas Van Ness – EDGE, Iowa |
| 2.42 | Luke Musgrave – TE, Oregon State |
| 2.50 | Jayden Reed – WR, Michigan State |
| 3.78 | Tucker Kraft – TE, South Dakota State |
| 4.116 | Colby Wooden – EDGE, Auburn |
| 5.149 | Sean Clifford – QB, Penn State |
| 5.159 | Dontayvion Wicks – WR, Virginia |
| 6.179 | Karl Brooks – IDL, Bowling Green |
| 6.207 | Anders Carlson – K, Auburn |
| 7.232 | Carrington Valentine – CB, Kentucky |
| 7.235 | Lew Nichols III – RB, Central Michigan |
| 7.242 | Anthony Johnson – S, Iowa State |
| 7.256 | Grant DuBose – WR, Charlotte |
With 13 selections the Packers had one of this year’s largest draft classes. Many were expecting a pass catcher with their first pick, but they were smart in adding another edge rusher to what is a noticeably depleted group. Lukas Van Ness fits the archetype that the Packers go after with an exceptional blend of size, power, and athletic ability and he gives them an exciting young edge duo alongside Rashan Gary.
Their moves on day two were also very solid, adding a trio of pass catchers for Jordan Love to work with. In Musgrave and Kraft they got two different types of tight ends but both are great athletes who can threaten in the passing game. Jayden Reed provides them with a sound route runner who should perfectly compliment Christian Watson’s field-stretching speed. The rest of the class was very solid, with some reinforcements at key spots. The one truly perplexing pick was Sean Clifford in the fifth round. The Packers needed a new backup quarterback, but even at that point it felt like there were plenty of better options on the board.
Grade: B+
Minnesota Vikings
| Pick | Player |
| 1.23 | Jordan Addison – WR, USC |
| 3.102 | Mekhi Blackmon – CB, USC |
| 4.134 | Jay Ward – CB, LSU |
| 5.141 | Jaquelin Roy – IDL, LSU |
| 5.164 | Jaren Hall – QB, BYU |
| 7.222 | DeWayne McBride – RB, UAB |
The Vikings really needed to add another pass catcher after the departure of Adam Thielen and they will hope they have landed their future WR2 in Jordan Addison. Many people had Addison ranked in the upper echelons of this wide receiver class thanks to his refined route running, though there will be questions about how translatable his playstyle is given his tiny frame and average athletic profile. I think he can be a solid NFL pass catcher but I am not convinced that he can live up to this kind of draft capital.
The Addison selection was Minnesota’s only pick in the top 100, so it is unsurprising they didn’t get any other real stars. They did however manage to add some crucial depth at cornerback, with Mekhi Blackmon looking like a particularly good fit in Brian Flores’ new scheme. In Jaquelin Roy they get a player with potential to become a solid interior rusher, but the DeWayne McBride pick might be the best of the bunch. He apparently fell due to ball security and character concerns, but there aren’t many better pure runners in what was a famously talented running back class.
Grade: C+
