2022 NFL Draft Grades: Packers reload with top NFC North class

By Rob Rang
FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst

My series of report cards for the 2022 NFL Draft continues today with an evaluation of the NFC North.

You can check out my grades for the other divisions here:

• AFC North: Ravens top division with elite class
• AFC West: Chiefs use extra picks to nab top class
• NFC West: Seahawks emerge with best 2022 crop
• AFC East: Jets leave rest of division in their wake
• NFC East: Eagles soar to top of the class

Let's break down what the four NFC North teams did in the draft and in signing undrafted free agents.

Green Bay Packers
Grade: A

Given that the Packers traded one of the best players in the legendary franchise’s iconic history, there will be plenty of critics of Green Bay’s draft, especially after GM Brian Gutekunst opted not to reach to fill the sizable void left by receiver Davante Adams. But give the Packers credit for taking full advantage of the front-seven talent available in this draft in the opening frame and nabbing two receivers who I think are well-suited to quickly gain Aaron Rodgers’ trust.

From strictly a talent standpoint, the Packers selected two terrific Georgia players in linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt in the first round. Walker’s speed and closing ability make an already good Green Bay linebacker corps potentially great. Meanwhile, the Packers' defensive line now boasts an embarrassment of riches inside, with Kenny Clark and free-agent addition Jarran Reed to go with Wyatt, the best 3-tech defensive tackle in this class. Edge rushers Preston Smith and Rashan Gary are terrific as well.

Offensively, Rodgers remains the primary reason for Green Bay’s success, and the Packers were wise to supplement No. 12 with two dynamic pass-catchers in North Dakota State’s Christian Watson and Nevada's Romeo Doubs. Having watched both star at the Senior Bowl, I feel confident that they possess the reliable route-running, hands and body control to take full advantage of Rodgers’ pinpoint accuracy. I am higher on Doubs than many seem to be, and I’m OK with that. Longtime Packers fans might remember that I was a lot higher on the supposedly raw Adams than most when he was drafted as a redshirt sophomore out of Fresno State in 2014. 

Now, let's turn our attention to the talent Green Bay brought in to support the offensive line — long a bugaboo for this franchise.

Gutekunst might have done his best work in the 2022 draft up front, nabbing a powerful people-mover in UCLA offensive tackle Sean Rhyan, who might project best at guard. The GM also selected arguably the most versatile blocker in the class in Wake Forest’s Zach Tom, who might project best at center, and a possible future starting tackle in Rasheed Walker (Penn State) in the seventh round. Walker’s inconsistencies pushed him far down the board, but his talent is obvious. Green Bay gambled on him at a perfect point in the draft. He could make the Packers look smart, and if he doesn’t commit to his craft, the club can easily cut the seventh-round pick without losing face. But Don’t be surprised when he rises to the challenge.

Fifth-rounder Kingsley Enagbare (South Carolina) would rank as one of the better Day 3 picks for most clubs, yet he barely earns a mention here because the rest of this class is as rich as Wisconsin cheddar. Yes, the Packers are once again loaded. At least on paper, there is one obvious NFC challenger to the Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams, and that team is Green Bay. This draft class has a lot to do with that. 

Detroit Lions
Grade: A-

While it remains to be seen if the Lions get the required play at quarterback to push this team significantly up the standings in the NFC North, the DNA of this team has changed. Since general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell took over in Detroit, the Lions have become bigger, stronger and nastier. 

A big reason for that shrinking disparity between the Lions and the rest of the division has been a great focus at the point of attack. Last year’s top pick, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, quietly lived up to his pre-draft hype, just like I expect edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to do as the No. 2 selection this year. It is easy to venture into hyperbole with Hutchinson, but let’s leave it as simple as this: He was the best player in the 2022 Draft. 

For Detroit, Hutchinson fills a clear void on a defense desperate for game-changers. Quick, powerful, technically refined and tough as a Ford-150 straight off the assembly line, Hutchinson should rank among this year’s top bets for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He is that polished and passionate at the most important position on defense in today’s game.

Given the bloated salaries of today’s receivers, it's understandable why GM Holmes aggressively moved up in the first round for Alabama's Jameson Williams, the most gifted pass-catcher in a class that set records for how many were selected in the first two rounds. Williams is an elite vertical threat with silly speed. And while plenty have questions about QB Jared Goff’s game overall, his touch on the deep ball is one of his strengths. Once Jameson is fully recovered from the torn ACL suffered in the national championship game, the Lions' duo will have game-breaking potential.

Williams' major injury is one reason some will quibble with the Lions’ draft. Another could be how highly the club selected former Kentucky defensive lineman Josh Paschal. When both turn out to be key drivers for Motor City’s turnaround, however, the early criticisms will wash away. Paschal isn’t as twitched-up as some of this year’s edge rushers, but the rare three-time team captain personifies the blue-collar mentality Detroit is banking on in its rebuild.

I like the upside of Illinois safety Kerby Joseph, but my favorite of Detroit’s Day 3 selections was its last: Arizona State cornerback Chase Lucas. He would have been selected a couple of rounds earlier if he were a year or two younger. Don’t be surprised when this Day 3 steal "surprises" as a starter, albeit possibly at nickel.

Of the Lions’ UDFA signings, I’m most intrigued by TCU's long-armed (36 1/8 inches!), 6-foot-6, 321-pound offensive tackle, Obinna Eze. I also like San Jose State tight end Derrick Deese Jr., a former wide receiver still growing into his frame. Deese is a late-blooming tight end with the bloodlines — his father was an offensive lineman for the Niners and Bucs — and aggression to suggest that his best football is ahead of him.  

Chicago Bears
Grade: B

The bold trade up a year ago for quarterback Justin Fields left the Bears without a first-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. But that didn’t slow down new general manager Ryan Poles, who used four trades on Day 3 to push the club from eight picks to 11 — the most the team has made since 2008. 

Trading down is not always a recipe for success, but given that the Bears are a team in transition — with a young quarterback and new head coach in Matt Eberflus — taking advantage of the extra talent in this class due to the NCAA's granting players extra eligibility certainly made sense.

It helped that Chicago had a pair of first-round-caliber prospects in defensive backs Kyler Gordon (Washington) and Jaquan Brisker (Penn State) land in their lap at Nos. 39 and 48 overall. Neither player is as polished as some of the defensive backs selected ahead of them, but both are ascending prospects. Gordon is an exceptional athlete, boasting rare lateral agility and acceleration to project as a legitimate cover corner. While overshadowed by his former teammate, Trent McDuffie, (selected 21st overall by Kansas City), Gordon quietly did not allow a touchdown reception in his college career. 

Like Gordon, Brisker is an instinctive, athletic defender just scratching the surface of his potential. While not as twitchy in coverage, he is a heat-seeking missile who can lay the thunder, projecting as an ideal complement to rangy, ball-hawking free safety Eddie Jackson at the back end of Chicago’s defense. Given the passing attacks currently atop the NFC North in Green Bay and Minnesota — as well the slow, sloppy conditions of Soldier Field — adding legitimately dynamic athletes was a must for the Bears. The defensive-minded Eberflus had to be elated to see these two future high-level starters still on the board.

Adding an explosive athlete such as third-round pick Velus Jones, a receiver with 4.31 40 speed at a rock-solid 6-foot and 204 pounds, makes a lot of sense for a freewheeling quarterback such as Fields. The QB is at his best improvising and attacking downfield, rather than operating as a traditional rhythm passer. Jones has the speed to get over the top of defenses and play to his size, showing vision, strength and grit after the catch. 

I’m also a big fan of the upside of Southern Utah offensive tackle Braxton Jones and twitched-up edge rusher Dominique Robinson, a former wide receiver at Miami (Ohio).

It is worth noting that none of these players is currently viewed as a true plug-and-play type. The Bears’ most polished draftees, in fact, might be late Day 3 picks Zach Thomas (San Diego State) and Doug Kramer (Illinois), who project more as depth players than top-end starters in the NFL. As with the Bears' top picks, I like the upside of Southern tackle Ja'Tyre Carter, and Baylor running back Trestan Ebner could be yet another special-teams ace for a franchise known for developing jack-of-all trades talents.

Of the club’s extensive list of undrafted free-agent signings, I’m most intrigued by another small-school offensive lineman in Eastern Washington’s Tristen Taylor, as well as two productive Power 5 performers in former Iowa State tight end Chase Allen and Wisconsin linebacker Jack Sanborn. 

Minnesota Vikings
Grade: C+

In terms of addressing the team’s biggest need, few clubs more emphatically checked boxes in the 2022 NFL Draft than the Vikings. And while that speaks to the potential new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell have to work with, it still ranks the Vikings fourth in a superbly drafting NFC North division.

The Vikings surrendered 34 touchdowns through the air a year ago while collecting just seven interceptions. That abysmal touchdown-to-interception ratio all but sealed defensive-minded head coach Mike Zimmer’s fate. The Vikings look to vastly improve those numbers in 2022, with the hard-hitting Lewis Cine at safety and cornerback Andrew Booth (a steal at No. 42, in my opinion) atop their rookie class. A healthy Danielle Hunter, of course, would help the defensive line.

While I like the Vikings' top picks — and can appreciate all the extra darts created by trading down from No. 13 to No. 32 — I don’t know that Minnesota ultimately maximized its value. Speedy linebacker Brian Asamoah certainly addresses another area of concern, and former LSU offensive guard Ed Ingram will bring an element of nastiness up front that, frankly, the Vikings have been lacking since about the middle ages.

All four project as future starters, and given that the club needed an infusion of fresh blood, their selections might wind up justifying Adofo-Mensah’s bold trade down with division-rival Detroit (which moved for WR Williams). But the drop-off from these four to Minnesota’s Day 3 selections is a steep one. I have reservations about former Missouri cornerback Akayleb Evans’ ability to hold up in the NFL, given his durability issues and relatively spindly frame. And while grit isn’t the question with former Gopher DL Esezi Otomewo, true playmaking ability is a concern.

I see both as players who only help Minnesota’s depth — similar to the rest of the Vikings’ Day 3 picks. 

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Rob Rang has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others.