TMG DraftZone 2013 NFL Draft Grades: NFC North

The Green Bay Packers followed up their 15-1 regular season record in 2011 with another division title, but the Vikings, Bears and Lions are all making moves to put them on top this coming season. With Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have the best quarterback in the league and they appear to have added that missing dimension with the selection of both Eddie Lacy and Jonathon Franklin to carry the ball. Chicago has a history of problems protecting Jay Cutler, and they made the earliest reach in Round 1 by going after Kyle Long, a guard from Oregon. Many saw Long as a mid-second rounder, but the top flight offensive lineman already gone, the Bears had to make the move on Long. The Detroit Lions fell apart in 2012, following up a playoff appearance the previous year with a 4-12 season. The defense was offensive, and the pass rush got an upgrade with the selection of potentially the most talented pass rusher in Ezekiel Ansah. Ansah is a very raw player, but he has all the physical skills to put the heat on quarterbacks. The biggest surprise in 2012 was the rise of the Minnesota Vikings from a 3-13 team to the playoffs. Adrian Peterson nearly broke the single season rushing record, and he along with quarterback Christian Ponder must love the fact that Matt Kalil is manning the left side of the offensive line. The Vikings traded Percy Harvin to get a second pick in Round 1, then traded up again to get a third. The additions of Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes and Cordarrelle Patterson will strengthen both sides of the ball in Minnesota. So here are the TMG DraftZone NFL Draft Grades for 2013 for the NFC North, with key selections and sleeper picks: Chicago: B- Jon Bostic (LB) Jordan Mills (T) The Bears need a replacement for Brian Urlacher, and it looks like they found their guy in Bostic. The second round pick should team with third rounder Khaseem Greene to anchor the Bears linebacker corps for a long time. If Long does not pan out as a first round pick should, it will taint this draft in Chicago for years. With the struggles the offensive line has had, Mills might get a chance to play sooner than later. Detroit: B+ Darius Slay (CB) Theo Reddick (RB) Detroit passed on Dee Milliner to anchor the corner on defense, and the pick of Slay puts a lot of pressure on the second rounder. But Slay appears to have all the tools to be a star, and lucky for him he doesn't have to cover Calvin Johnson twice a year, only in practice. Larry Warford should add depth to the offensive line, and keeping Matthew Stafford upright and healthy is a priority for the Lions. But what Detriot needs is a running game, and Reddick could be next runner up to fill the void. Green Bay: A- David Bakhtiari (OT) Jonathon Franklin (RB) With the pick of Datone Jones in Round 1, Green Bay shores up the defensive line as a 3-4 end. If Jones can get pressure on the quarterback and draw double teams, it frees up Nick Perry and Clay Matthews to get into the backfield. Bakhtiari can be counted on to protect Rodgers and to open holes for the new dynamic duo in the backfield. Lacy is the higher profile pick, but he is more of a downhill runner. Franklin can add to the passing game coming out of the backfield and will be a good change of pace doubled with Lacy. Minnesota: A- Cordarrelle Patterson (WR) Jeff Baca (G) Floys falling all the way to #23 was a big surprise, and he will anchor the defensive line for a long time. Rhodes is a big, physical corner who can match up with Megatron and Brandon Marshall four times a year. But Patterson needs to work on the mechanics of the wide receiver position, and it will help to have Greg Jennings on the other side. If Patterson pans out, he will stretch the field, and open up the middle for Jennings, Kyle Rudolph and the running game even more for Peterson. Baca can help protect Ponder and open up holes in the running game.

How does your Mock Draft look now?

If it looks anything like my NCAA Tournament Bracket after Day 1, it's probably needs to find the nearest shredder. Free agency has been going full tilt for over a week now, and the moves that have been made are sure to have an impact on the first round of the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft. Kansas City looked to be in the market for a quarterback, wide reciever and tackle. But the Chiefs traded for Alex Smith to run the offense, re-signed Dwayne Bowe and picked up Donnie Avery to catch the ball, and placed the franchise tag on left tackle Brandon Albert. Kansas City is looking for a right tackle to bookend Albert, and to eventually replace him, and Luke Joeckel is still on their radar. One thing that Andy Reid might be looking for is a tradig partner for that top pick, since the Chiefs gave up their second rounder to San Francisco for Smith. But I don't see it happening. The draft is loaded with good players but not the superstars that past drafts have featured. Why would a team trade up to get a player and give up other picks when they can get another pick that is just as good? So for my money KC is still on the clock, and I see them selectnig from a group of Joeckel, Eric Fisher, Star Lotulelei and Sharif Floyd. It all depends on which side of the ball they want to upgrade at the top. Two teams that are looking for quarterbacks continue to be Arizona and Buffalo. Arizona signed Drew Stanton, but I don't think this is pleasing Larry Fitzgerald too terribly much. Now the Cardinals have Stanton, John Skelton, Kevin Kolb and Ryan Lindley to compete for the starting job. My suggestion: get rid of all 4, and draft either Geno Smith or Matt Barkley and start fresh, just the same way new coach Bruce Arians did last year in Indianapolis with Andrew Luck. Now I am not saying that Smith or Barkley is anywhere near the level of Luck, but putting four bald tires on your car is not going to improve the overall performance. Time for a complete overhaul, and you have to start at quarterback. Buffalo did the opposite of Arizona. They just cut their starting quarterback. After giving Ryan Fitzpatrick a huge contract in 2011, they parted ways with Fitzpatrick and now the Bills are faced with a bit of a dilemna. Do they stay put at #8 and take whoever the Cardinals do not select, or do they trade up and leapfrog Arizona and get their man. This is going to be a classic example of Panic in the Draft Room. I don't see a move up to the top with Kansas City, but I would nto be surprised to see Jacksonville move down. The Jags need defensive help, and they can get that at #8 as well as #2, and the prospect of acquiring picks that they gave away to select Justin Blackmon has to be appealing to the Jaguars. Minnesota traded Percy Harvin and then signed Greg Jennings, so their need for a receiver is still there. Miami was a popular landing spot for Cordarrelle Patterson, but with the signing of Mike Wallace look for the Dolphins to go defensive with Xavier Rhodes to take over at cornerback, or Lane Johnson to replace former #1 Overall Pick Jake Long. If Ryan Tannehill is your future quarterback, you better have his backside covered with a franchise tackle. Johnson can fill the bill. And just today the news came out that Tampa Bay will trade a 1st and 2nd Round pick in 2014 to the NY Jets for Darrelle Revis. I have had the Bucs going cornerback in the first round and targeting Xavier Rhodes as well. One might think that with Revis on board that corner would not be a priority. I see that is can still be for Tampa. Revis is still rehabbing a torn ACL, and his status is still up in the air. But I have always been an advocate of having 2 shutdown corners and turning the pass rush loose. Want to get to the quarterback? It's a lot easier if he can't find an open receiver to throw the ball to. Putting Rhodes opposite Revis would create the Florida Keys. One island in line with another. Much has been said about Baltimore losing so many players on defense. Ray Lewis retires. Ed Reed is on his way to Houston. Paul Kruger signed as a free agent with Cleveland. Bernard Pollard is now a member of the Titans. But the Ravens have one of the best GMs in the league with Ozzie Newsome, so I don't see too many holes on the roster come training camp. Now the team that really has my head needing a good scratch is Cincinnati. The Bengals went into free agnecy with over $40 million in cap space, and what have they done-not much of anything. The placed the franchise tag on defensive end Michael Johnson, and re-signed Wallace Gilberry, Rey Maualuga, Mike Nugent, Clark Harris and Adam Jones. They have yet to sign a player from the open market, and have not struck a deal with Andre Smith to bring him back to play right tackle. This is what happens when your owner is also the GM, and the owner is a tightwad. Just about everyone will agree that the Bengals are ready to get over the hurdle, win in the playoffs and make a run at the Super Bowl. But when you have the cap space to improve your team and you don't, you shouldn't expect your team to improve. The talent is there in Andy Dalton, A.J. Green and Geno Atkins, but apparently Brown is happy picking 21st every year, since that is the pick which goes to the team that makes the playoffs and has the worst record of those that lose in the divisional round. 2013 is the 3rd time in 4 years that Cincinnati has picked in that particular slot. There is still time to make some moves in free agency. Now it will be seen if the Bengals can make the moves they need to make a run through the playoffs. I will be putting together the Post-Free Agency DSA Player Rankings, and it will be interesting to see who has who going where now that the veterans have found their landing spots. It's five week until the 2013 NFL Draft. Let the mock draft roll on in.

Prelude to Free Agent Feeding Frenzy

The start of the NFL's free agent signing period 'officially' starts tomorrow, and the frenzy to get players has already started. Agents have been able to talk to teams for three days now, so when 4 pm comes around and the deals can be made official, they should start to come fast and furious. But two trades today that were announced will have a huge impact on the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft. The Baltimore Ravens pretty much told Anquan Boldin to stick it, and agreed to trade the wide receiver for what could amount to a cup of coffee in a 6th Round pick. Boldin is entering his 11th season in the NFL, but he is still a very productive receiver who, when on the field with Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, and Frank Gore, is going to give Colin Kaepernick one of the best receiving corps in the game. San Francisco was sitting at #31 and #34, and if they had any thoughts of taking a receiver at that point it's pretty much out the window. What will be interesting to see is what will happen to last year's first round pick in A.J. Jenkins. Jenkins was a non-factor the entire season, and if the 49ers feel that they can sign Boldin for a couple of more seasons without breaking the bank, San Francisco may just try to trade Jenkins and get back that sixth rounder. But with their load of picks still remaining, Jenkins may just find himself a casualty when roster cuts come around. The other big trade that was announced has Percy Harvin going to Seattle for a first round and seventh round pick this year, and a pick next season. The deal is contingent on Harvin passing a physical, but if he gets the all clear the Seahawks will be getting a dynamic playmaker who is a significant upgrade to whoever they may have gotten at #25. Now Minnesota is most certainly going to be taking a wide receiver in the first round. The Vikings went into the off-season looking to add an outside threat to help quarterback Christian Ponder and take some of the load off of Adrian Peterson. Now Ponder doesn't have anyone his most dangerous weapon to throw to, and it will be seen if Minnesota takes not just one but maybe two receivers in Round 1. I believe that Cordarrelle Patterson and Keenan Allen will be off the board by the time Minnesota selects at #23, But if they could pick up the tandem of Tavon Austin and Justin Hunter it will be interesting to see how the Kiddie Korps develops over time for the Vikings. I will be releasing the Post-Start of Free Agency DSA Player Rankings later in the week, and the signings and trades that will be announced starting tomorrow will start to round in to shape what teams will be looking to draft what players in next months 2013 NFL Draft. Let the feeding frenzy begin.