2024 NFL Draft Grades: NFC North
Let’s have a talk. Just you and me. The 2024 NFL Draft is in the books. You can make the choice now. You can choose to read other people’s draft grades. You know, the grades where you get lied to and nobody has the balls to hand out anything lower than a C for any of the teams. OR you can read mine where I tell the truth. The choice is yours.
By the way, how come nobody grades Mel Kiper’s draft grades after the fact? I’ll happily stack up my resume compared to anybody else out there. It’s not a battle they will win based on past evidence. We’re starting things off with the NFC North. Let’s do this thing.
Chicago Bears: Grade B+
Round 1, Pick 1: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Round 1, Pick 9: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Round 3, Pick 75: Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
Round 4, Pick 122: Tory Taylor, P, Iowa
Round 5, Pick 144: Austin Booker, Edge, Kansas
I would love to give this class an A+. Maybe the Williams and Odunze selections are enough to warrant the A grade. I just can’t do it because this idiot Ryan Poles continues to fumble the bag. Maybe the punter works out for them.
Beyond that, they didn’t get anyone. Since when did Yale become the factory for producing offensive line talent? They gave up a 2025 pick to take Austin Booker who sucks. That’s the entire class. Again, the top two guys will really help but the overall class is extremely light. Let’s not pretend giving away the second round pick wasn’t incredibly stupid.
Detroit Lions: Grade F
Round 1, Pick 24: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
Round 2, Pick 61: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri
Round 4, Pick 126: Giovanni Manu, OT, British Columbia
Round 4, Pick 132: Sione Vaki, S/RB, Utah
Round 6, Pick 189: Mekhi Wingo, DL, LSU
Round 6, Pick 210: Christian Mahogany, G, Boston College
We’re done with the whole Brad Holmes is smart thing, right? WTF was that? Credit to Detroit for bringing in some cornerback help. Who knows, maybe they win the Super Bowl if Holmes doesn’t botch that room last year. This year they end up with two corners that will help. No denying that part.
The Lions traded up FIVE times in this draft. FIVE times. They gave away a ton of 2025 picks in this draft and still didn’t get much. I’m not sure how you trade up for a CFL offensive lineman but Brad Holmes found a way. You’re just not going to convince me that giving away your third round pick to move up for Arnold was a good idea when the Ravens sat there and took Nate Wiggins at pick 30.
I actually like the 6th round picks they made but this class is a disaster. They took care of needs but it was about as poorly managed as it gets while doing it.
Green Bay Packers: Grade B
Round 1, Pick 25: Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
Round 2, Pick 45: Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M
Round 2, Pick 58: Javon Bullard, S, Georgia
Round 3, Pick 88: MarShawn Lloyd, RB, USC
Round 3, Pick 91: Ty’Ron Hopper, LB, Missouri
Round 4, Pick 111: Evan Williams, S, Oregon
Round 5, Pick 163: Jacob Monk, OL, Duke
Round 5, Pick 169: Kitan Oladapo, S, Oregon State
Round 6, Pick 202: Travis Glover, OT, Georgia State
Round 7, Pick 245: Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane
Round 7, Pick 255: Kalen King, CB, Penn State
This is such a typical Packers draft. Far from perfect but they pick up a ton of talent and backload on depth. Some of these guys won’t help for awhile but they’re truly building a deep well rounded roster. Some of these picks are REALLY going to help.
Some of my favorites include picking up Cooper, Bullard, and Evan Williams. The safety room in Green Bay is sick. Williams is going to play and they already picked up Xavier McKinney in free agency. Bullard is damn tough and can play nickel corner in a pinch too. I can’t give them enough credit for picking up Cooper as another piece of the Aaron Rodgers trade. He’s really good and should make quite the duo with Quay Walker. Oh, and an already made back up with Ty’Ron Hopper.
A few reaches that prevent this class from being an A. Jordan Morgan is fine but he’s a massive step down from the other tackles that went in round one. The MarShawn Lloyd pick makes zero sense after you give Josh Jacobs all of that money. The offensive linemen they took are clearly all projects.
It’s just a classic Packers draft. Strong class filled with depth but far from perfect. It’s what they do every year. Good enough for a B grade.
Minnesota Vikings: Grade A-
Round 1, Pick 10: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Round 1, Pick 17: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
Round 4, Pick 108: Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon
Round 6, Pick 177: Walter Rouse, OT, Oklahoma
Round 6, Pick 203: Will Reichard, K, Alabama
Round 7, Pick 230: Michael Jurgens, OL, Wake Forest
Round 7, Pick 232: Levi Drake Rodriguez, DL, Texas A&M Commerce
Kwesi grew on me over the weekend. I hate that he gave up so many picks but I can’t really argue against it. They land a franchise quarterback with JJ McCarthy that comes with a ready-made environment. McCarthy can sit and learn and the team around him has talent. Moving up for Dallas Turner just made sense too. He probably shouldn’t have been on the board and should be a massive force off the edge.
The selection of Jackson moves it up to the A grade. He’s so damn long and talented. To snag him in the 4th round is a huge win. We’ll see if the Rouse, Jurgens, and Rodriguez picks work out. The Reichard one should and this is a team that needs a reliable kicker.
Job well done. I just hope for their sake that they find a way to replenish some of those 2025 picks.
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