This division’s power structure has almost flip-flopped from just a couple of years ago when the LIONS were biting knee caps and beating up most of the NFL with back -to-back seasons of 14 Wins in 2023 and 15 Wins in 2024. But they failed to get to a Super Bowl and in 2015 injuries caught up with them and they stumbled backwards to a 9 -7 record, while DA Bears took over the division crown. Meanwhile the Packers choked badly down the stretch while the Vikings regretted letting SAM DARNOLD sign with Seattle, while their Franchise QB JJ McCARTHY stumbled out of the gate, before exiting the season to injuries once again.
As we head toward the 2026 Draft this division has a total of 33 Picks to work with, one of the highest Division totals in the League.
CHICAGO BEARS 12-6-0 7 Draft Picks: The combination of new Head Coach BEN JOHNSON and emerging young QB CALEB WILLIAMS led the team to multiple late game, come from behind victories. They were forced into a few more VFA signings for the upcoming season to Cap issues and the sudden retirement of starting OC DREW DALMAN. They have so far added 7 new defensive players including 2 in their secondary; CAM LEWIS & COBY BRYANT may end up as their starting Safeties, unless a Draft PIck beats one of them out. One of their biggest OL questions is the health of OZZY TRAPILO who was starting as their LT only to go down to injury late in the regular season. After trading WR2 DJ MOORE to Buffalo expect them to use one of their 4 Top 100 Picks on another young wideout. They have less than $1-million in CAP SPACE which means they will have to clear some additional space in order to Draft next week. It certainly seems to me that this team already has a Cap issue to solve before Training Camp opens in July. Having almost $20-million in Dead Money on the books is not the serious stumbling block however.
The DRAFT and their 7 Picks in it will have to provide an immediate boost to their roster, especially their 4 Picks in the first 89 Picks. So let’s have at it.
Round 1, Pick 25 OMAR COOPER WR Indiana 6’0/200
Round 2, Pick 57 DERRICK MOORE DE/ER Michigan 6’4/255
Round 2, Pick 60 AJ HAULCY S LSU 6’0/215
Round 3, Pick 89 LOGAN JONES OC Iowa 6’3/300
Day 3 Picks 129, 239, 241
DETROIT LONS 9-8-0 9 Draft Picks: The LIONS were forced to make some serious roster adjustments this off-season because of financial issues, VFA losses and player age issues. Age really caused some shuffling with multiple players over that dreaded 30+ age group moving on, and needing some younger vets to replace them, as well as Rookie players, with their cheaper price tags, at least for a few years. RB David Montgomery expressed unhappiness when his work load was roughly reduced to about 10-12 touches per game. He was traded to Houston, and the team signed FVA ISIAH PACHECO from the Chiefs to pair with GIBBS as the RB duo. The team made major additions to their OL room, which included CADE MAYES/OC, LARRY BOROM/OT, JUICE SCRUGGS/IOL, BEN BATCH/OG & SETH McLAUGHLIN/OC. Multi-purpose Khalif Raymond moved on but may not be missed much with the addition of VFA GREG DORTCH to fill most of Raymond’s roster chores. In the team’s seemingly endless hunt for some Edge help to supplement AIDAN HUTCHINSON VFA help may have arrived with PAYTON TURNER & DJ Wonnum signings. The team is still uncertain as to when their starting S duo of BRIAN BRANCH & KIRBY JOSEPH will return from serious injuries. So they brought in a couple of useful, if not stellar, VFA in CHUCK CLARK and CHRISTIAN IZIEN for veteran presence at those positions. ROGER McCREARY was also added as a NB answer for the roster. In all I count 16 VFA additions to their current list of Active players under contract.
The team is in pretty solid shape against the Salary Cap with Cap Space of $23.7-million despite all of their VFA spending. They also have only $26.4-million of Dead Money on the books, again despite all their wheeling and dealing of players with contract guarantees.
They are without their Round 3 Pick but the LIONS are in solid shape for the Draft with 9 overall Picks to use.
DRAFT PICKS
R1, Pick 17 SPENCER FANO OT Utah 6’6/310
R2, Pick 50 CHRISTEN MILLER DT Georgia 6’4/320
Day 3 Picks 118, 128, 157, 181, 205, 213, 222
I see the LIONS having a solid chance for about a 12-5 record and battling DA BEARS all the way for the NFC NORTH title.
GREEN BAY PACKERS 9-7-1 8 Draft Picks: The PACKERS and their roster may have had their most active shake up in quite some time. It all began, of course, with the addition of super star Edge Rusher MICAH PARSONS in a whopper of a trade with the Cowboys. And the real impact of that move will be felt when the PACK is without a Round 1 Pick in next weeks Draft (and also without their Round 1 Pick in 2027. Kenny Clark/DT was also sent to the Cowboys in that trade. PARSONS was a dynamic addition to their pass rush efforts until he was injured and his impact was sorely missed. The Salary Cap landed heavily on their roster in there Off-season. 7 VFA left Titletown, USA and 2 more vets were traded away. In that group of 9 departing vets 5 were starters. They landed a few new bodies for the roster in VFA form with JAVON HARGRAVE/DT, ZAIRE FRANKLIN/LB, BENJAMIN ST-JUSTE/CB, SKYY MOORE/RS/WR who should all compete for playing time to varying degree, but not much of expected significance. Despite handing out an expensive contract extension to PARSONS, the team currently sits on $22-million in Cap Space, while listing over $43-million in dead money on their financial books. They do have 79 players already under contract currently.
They also have 8 Picks in this year’s Draft to help replenish their roster quality a bit. Here are their Picks and my projection for their Top 100 Picks.
R2, Pick 52 CHRIS JOHNSON CB San Diego St 6’0/190
R3, Pick 84 JALEN FARMER OG Kentucky 6’5/315
Day 3 Picks 120, 153, 160, 201, 236, 255
Looking at this team and their roster shufflingI find it hard to project them as much of a Play-Off contending team. In fact I see them fighting with the VIKINGS for the NFC NORTH cellar slot. How about an 8-9 season record this year.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS 9-8-0 9 Draft Picks: Clearly the decision to let SAM DARNOLD leave as a Free Agent after the 2024 season was the final straw that led to the firing of GM Kwesi Adofo-Mesah, after Darnold led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory while the Vikings organization watched most of the Play-Offs in front of their home TV sets. Although I am not convinced that the team has totally given up on JJ McCarthy as their long term franchise QB, the team did sign KYLER MURRAY after the Cardinals released him as the League Year turned over last month. The team seems not to be in the position to turn over the roster, yet, but double digit Wins might be the baseline to not do so next off-season.
MURRAY was the big name addition to the roster as a VFA, and I doubt that the signing of P/Johnny Hekker and CB/James Pierre generated much excitement to Vikings fans as their teams only significant VFA signings. But the Cap balance had a lot to do with their lack of activity bringing in new players to date. They currently show only $4.9-million in Cap Space which will pretty much cover their 9 Draft Pick contracts, but not much else.
They currently have only 63 players under contract for next season and their 9 draftees are the only likely add-ons of any significance. So let’s move on to the Drafting.
R1, Pick 18 DILLON THIENEMAN S Oregon 6’0/205
R2, Pick 49 JAKE GOLDAY OB/ER Cincinnati 6’5/240
R3, Pick 82 TRAVIS BURKE OT Memphis 6’8/325
R3, Pick 97 NICK SINGLETON RB Penn St 6’0/220
Day 3 Picks 163, 196, 234, 235, 244
This may be a sorry season ahead unless MURRAY is a major pleasant surprise working with Head Coach KEVIN O’CONNELL. He’s had some quality seasons to date, but he also lost a ton of time to injuries. He has never had the overall quality of skill position players that he will now be working with.
I look for the Vikings to be struggling to stay above .500 over the course of the season, not unlike the Packers. Let’s say they also go 8-9
That’s about it for the NFC NORTH leading into the 2026 NFL Draft. They have lost a bit of their Super Bowl contender muscle that they flashed about 2 seasons ago.
Pigskin Paul
