Updated Team Needs: NFC North
By Editorial Staff
One of the most important factors when preparing for the NFL Draft is knowing each and every NFL team. NFL Mocks keeps a very close eye on each team and will bring you an updated needs assessment at the end of each month. These needs will help as we prepare to make predictions for the 2011 NFL Draft. Continue to check out our team needs page to find the most recent assessments. Also after looking at the team needs move on over to the Big Board and see what prospects might fit your teams need.
Chicago Bears
Though the Bears have found a way to win so far, but they still have plenty of holes. They have found a way to make the offensive line work for now, but I am not a believer that Frank Omiyale can play left tackle great over the course of a season and Chris Williams can’t stay healthy. The interior of the line is still getting older, but if Cutler is going to survive the next few years in Chicago, they should find a long term solution at Left Tackle. I’m sure they would love to be in a position to grab Gabe Carimi, but at the rate they are playing now, the Bears have a better chance at Anthony Castonzo or Matt Reynolds.
The Lions are slowly getting back to some respectability. Its certainly not showing in their record, but they have clearly gotten more talented on offense and along the defensive line. Now if only they could cover a receiver, any receiver. Detroit will likely be in position to take a top 5 to 10 pick again, which gives them a fighting chance at arguably the best overall prospect, CB Patrick Peterson. Double lucky for the Lions, corner back is looking like it could be a deep class this year if a bunch of the juniors come out. Other top corner options are Prince Amukamara and Ras-I Dowling.
The Packers are looking like the same team they were last year. Same positives and same negatives. Sure, they have a highly successful passing attack, but Aaron Rodgers protection always seems to break down quickly. Julius Peppers put on a show beating on their tackles. His stat line doesn’t tell the full story of how often he got in Rodger’s face and forced offensive linemen into holding penalties. Bulaga may have been a good start, but they have him spending time at guard. This makes me wonder if they see him as their franchise left tackle or just an talented lineman. He is or he isn’t, the Packers need a tackle. If none of the previously mentioned tackles are still available in the first, the Packers could find good talent in the second with Joseph Barksdale or Nate Solder.
There is a position of need for the Vikings that could very well occupy the top spot of every updated Team Needs page, but in the interest of variety and the desire to look deeper when doing these updates, we’ll talk about it first and try to move on. The Vikings need a quarterback. Sure they could go with Tarvaris Jackson next year, but if the passing attack continues to under perform under Farve and the Vikings end up with a high draft pick, why wouldn’t they go after a quarterback in a top heavy class. Childress has shown a penchant for the mobile quarterback projects. Is Jake Locker his kind of guy? Maybe they want a gun slinger in the Farve mold. Ryan Mallett could fit that role. Perhaps a heady, west coast style QB in Christian Ponder? He fits schematically, but does he have the arm strength that the Vikings are looking for?