Windy City Gridiron
With the 2025 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, it’s time to check in on the best division in football from a year ago. Who had the best haul, and how much will this change the complexion of the division over time?
The NFL Draft process is always interesting to monitor. The lead-up typically starts in May, but most don’t start paying attention until the middle of the college season. For fans of bad teams, they might start paying attention as soon as October, in anticipation of the following offseason. Most NFL fans won’t begin to dive into players until after the new year. The combine and Pro Days fly by, while taking a back seat to the initial wave of free agency. Then, draft weekend comes out of nowhere and is over just as quickly as it started.
Just months after sending three teams to the playoffs, most of the NFC North drafted in the mid-20s. After finishing 5-12, the Chicago Bears were the only exceptions in one of the best regular-season divisions in football. Despite each team having different goals, the focus on the trenches was common for all four teams. The Detroit Lions added two more high-caliber offensive linemen to one of the league’s top units. Despite the speculation surrounding cornerback Jaire Alexander, the Green Bay Packers didn’t select a cornerback until the seventh round. Despite the Minnesota Vikings’ lack of draft capital, they found a way to continue their interior offensive line overhaul.
Each team had a goal in mind, and if you listened to all four general managers, they’d claim to have accomplished their goals. With the dust settling from an ever-busy weekend in Green Bay, it’s time to dive deeper into each team’s draft class and how the NFC North looks heading into the offseason programs.
Round 1 (#10): TE Colston Loveland (Michigan)
Round 2 (#39): WR Luther Burden III (Missouri)
Round 2 (#56): OT Ozzy Trapilo (Boston College)
Round 2 (#62): DL Shemar Turner (Texas A&M)
Round 4 (#132): LB Ruben Hyppolite (Maryland)
Round 5 (#169): CB Zah Frazier (UTSA)
Round 6 (#195): iOL Luke Newman (Michigan State)
Round 7 (#233): RB Kyle Monangai (Rutgers)
Biggest Pre-Draft Needs: RB, DE, OT, LB, and S
Way Too Early Grade: B
No team in the NFC has seen more drastic changes this offseason than the Bears. After firing former head coach Matt Eberflus mid-season, Chicago landed their top target all along in offensive guru Ben Johnson. After assembling his coaching staff, general manager Ryan Poles and Johnson went to work on the offensive line. After landing three new starters on the interior and a pair of upgrades on the defensive line, they were able to go into the draft wide open.
Despite being rumored as a team expecting to take one of the top running backs in a historically deep class, they waited until the seventh round to add to that room. The primary focus early in the draft was on the...
