On Monday, eDraft took a look at the NFC West and the hauls for each team in what is quickly becoming the best division in the National Football League. Today, we will take a look at the 'ol "black and blue division," who also sent two teams to the postseason this past year.
Chicago Bears | Pick | Player | Position | College | Grade |
| 1 (20) | Kyle Long | Offensive Line | Oregon | C+ |
| 2 (50) | Jon Bostic | Linebacker | Florida | C+ |
| 4 (117) | Khaseem Greene | Linebacker | Rutgers | A- |
| 5 (163) | Jordan Mills | Offensive Tackle | Lousiana Tech | A- |
| 6 (188) | Cornelius Washington | Defensive End/LB | Clemson | B+ |
| 7 (236) | Marquess Wilson | Wide Receiver | Washington State | A |
The Bears were obviously looking to fortify an offensive line that had been among the most inconsistent units in the league over the last few years. I am not entirely sure reaching (a full round in my opinion) to pick up Kyle Long makes a lot of sense. While the Oregon product does have the pedigree and talent, he only started for one season at Oregon and lacks the technique and strength to be an immediate impact performer. Chicago will look to slide him inside, which could be a whole other issue itself. Why not go linebacker here?
When Chicago did go linebacker, it whiffed big time, taking another project in the form of John Bostic from Florida. Again, there is a lot to like here, but the Bears had much better options. If they're planning on playing Boston inside, why not go with Arthur Brown? Again, not a whole heck of a lot to like about this selection. I do, however, love the Khaseem Greene pick. He has one of the highest upsides of any players in the entire draft and will be a stellar future replacement for Lance Briggs at weak side linebacker. Jordan Mills was a good depth pick in the fifth and could translate into being a starter. Chicago also took a chance on wide receiver with off-field issues in the form of Marquess Wilson. That was a low risk, high reward selection and fills a position of need. Wilson could surprise.
Final Grade: B (83.3 percent)
Detroit Lions | Pick | Player | Position | Team | Grade |
| 1 (5) | Ziggy Ansah | Defensive End | BYU | B- |
| 2 (36) | Darius Slay | Cornerback | Mississippi St | A- |
| 3 (65) | Larry Warford | Guard | Kentucky | B+ |
| 4 (132) | Devin Taylor | Defensive End | South Carolina | C+ |
| 5 (165) | Sam Martin | Punter | App. State | F |
| 6 (171) | Corey Fuller | Wide Receiver | Virginia Tech | B |
| 6 (199) | Theo Riddick | Running Back/WR | Notre Dame | A |
| 7 (211) | Michael Williams | Tight End | Alabama | A |
| 7 (245) | Brandon Hepburn | Linebacker | Florida A&M | N/A |
The Lions filled a ton of needs in this draft. They got starter-caliber players with their first three picks and a few solid role players. The addition of Ziggy Ansah with the fifth pick is purely a projection selection. He didn't do much at the college level, meaning that Detroit was going solely off of tape. Ansah's ceiling is incredibly high, but his bottom is also pretty darn low. In the end, Martin Mayhew's draft will come down to how the BYU product pans out. I had Johnthan Banks rated ahead of Darius Slay, but really like what the latter brings to the table in terms of scheme and upside. He'll be given every shot to start opposite Chris Houston at cornerback.
Third-round pick Larry Warford should find himself as the Lions starting left guard out of camp. I had a second-round grade on him. Considering that other teams reached for interior lineman in the first round, this selection was an absolute steal. On the opposite end of the spectrum were the next two picks. While Devin Taylor has name recognition, I don't see his game translating well to the NFL. In addition, Detroit went back to the well after selecting Ziggy in the fith. For a team that struggled so bad at times last season, this didn't make much sense. Also, what was up with the selection of Sam Martin with Brad Wing on the board? I don't get that. The selections of Corey Fuller and Theo Riddick were great. They fill needs and give Detroit a bit of value late in the draft. All in all, not a bad draft for the lions.
Final Grade: B- (79.8 percent)
Green Bay Packers | Pick | Player | Position | Team | Grade |
| 1 (26) | Datone Jones | Defensive End | UCLA | A |
| 2 (61) | Eddie Lacy | Running Back | Alabama | A+ |
| 4 (109) | David Bakhtiari | Offensive Tackle | Colorado | A |
| 4 (122) | J.C. Tretter | Offensive Line | Cornell | A- |
| 4 (125) | Johnathan Franklin | Running Back | UCLA | A+ |
| 5 (159) | Micah Hyde | Defensive Back | Iowa | C+ |
| 5 (167) | Josh Boyd | Defensive Line | Mississippiu St | D |
| 6 (193) | Nate Palmer | Linebacker | Illinois State | B+ |
| 7 (216) | Charles Johnson | Wide Receiver | Grand Valley St | N/A |
| 7 (224) | Kevin Dorsey | Wide Receiver | Maryland | D |
| 7 (232) | Sam Barrington | Linebacker | South Florida | C |
Outside of the San Francisco 49ers, these Green Bay Packers were the biggest movers and shakers of the draft. The interesting things here is that they traded with San Francisco twice to pick up additional picks. More on that late. Everyone and their cat had been mocking Datone Jones to the Packers at 26, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Our very own Nick Slegel was the first to do so back in January. Jones fits exactly what Green Bay is building up front and was one of the better overall defensive ends that I saw on tape during the entire draft process. Green Bay then went out there and picked up the consensus No. 1 running back in the draft, Eddie Lacy, with the final selection of the second round after trading down with Baltimore. Lacy should be an immediate starter if his hammy gets straightened out and could be the Packers most consistent running back in years. David Bakhtiari and J.C.Tretter may not have been value picks in the fourth, but they fill positions of need. Bakhtiari could eventally replace Marshall Newhouse at right tackle, while Tretter will move inside to center; a position that's laking for Green Bay.
Its best pick of the entire draft in terms of value has to be another running back, Johnathan Franklin from UCLA. I had a second-round grade on him and Green Bay was able to nab him in the late fourth. That's a crazy steal. When was the last time the Packers had two starter-caliber running backs on the roster? Yeah, I didn't think so. Overall, this was one of the better drafts in the NFL.
Overall Grade: B+ (87.8 percent)
Minnesota Vikings | Pick | Player | Position | Team | Grade |
| 1 (23) | Sharrif Floyd | Defensive Line | Florida | A+ |
| 1 (25) | Xavier Rhodes | Cornerback | Florida State | A |
| 1 (29) | Cordarrelle Patterson | Wide Receiver | Tennessee | C+ |
| 4 (120) | Gerald Hodges | Linebacker | Penn State | C |
| 5 (155) | Jeff Locke | Punter | UCLA | D |
| 6 (196) | Jeff Baca | Guard | UCLA | C- |
| 7 (213) | Michael Mauti | Linebacker | Penn State | A |
| 7 (214) | Travis Bond | Guard | North Carolina | B |
| 7 (229) | Everett Dawkins | Defensive Tackle | Florida State | A |
The Minnesota Vikings made a ton of noise on the first day of the draft. They stole top-15 prospects Sharrif Floyd and Xavier Rhodes in the latter half of the first round. Both fill a position of need and represented tremendous value. In fact, I had mocked Floyd to go to the Oakland Raiders at three. He is going to be an immediate impact performer and future replacement for the aging Kevin Williams. Meanwhile, the Vikings got an immediate starter to replace Antoine Winfield in the defensive secondary. Rhodes was my third-ranked corner on the board and will be a top of the line cover guy in the not-so-distant future.
That's about where the Vikings' draft ends in terms of making sense. They gave up a bounty to the New England Patriots (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th) to move back up into the first and select Cordarrelle Patterson. While the Tennessee product is my No. 1 reciver of the draft class, he isn't ready to make a huge impact out of the gate and represents no value after yielding that many picks. I just don't get it. The Vikings next three picks were reaches too. Among them, punter Jeff Locke from UCLA. Yeah, go spend a fifth-rounder on a punter that wasn't even the No. 1 player at his position in the draft when you have Chris Kluwe on the roster. That's nothing more than a "WTF" decision right there. Overall, Minnesota got three nice pieces to the puzzle, but should have been able to do more in the latter rounds. It was, however, handcuffed by the Patterson trade.
Overall Grade: B (81 percent)
Best Value Pick: Sharriff Floyd, Minnesota Vikings and Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
Biggest Reach: Kyle Long, Chicago Bears and Jeff Locke, Minnesota Vikings
Best Draft: Green Bay Packers
Worst Draft: Detroit Lions
Biggest Impact Offensive Player: Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
Biggest Impact Defensive Player: Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota Vikings