Behind Enemy Lines- First Look At NFC North Draft Needs

Jan 30, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Riley Guilmino poses with a New Orleans Saints No. 1 jersey at the NFL Draft exhibit at the Super Bowl XLVII Experience at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

With the power restored and the Super Bowl over it’s now time to fast forward right to the NFL combine and the Draft. Here are some quick looks at the draft needs around the NFC North

1. Detroit Lions–  What a disappointing season for the Lions, but it was almost expected after the horrible offseason they endured.  The Lions weakness, if you were able to give your quarterback anytime at all, was the secondary.  The cornerbacks especially were beaten routinely by every team in the league, so no matter how good or bad Suh was, the defensive line could not consistently keep enough pressure on the quarterback to hide the secondary for 60 minutes.  The Lions could look to move down in the draft because their aren’t any superstar cornerbacks in this draft and taking one at pick #5 would be a reach.

2. Minnesota Vikings pick 23rd and it’s still hard to imagine how they were in the playoffs while the Bears were home watching it on the TV.  The biggest problem the Vikings had besides inconsistent play from Christian Ponder at times during the season, was the lack of playmaker on the outside to go along with Percy Harvin and Adrian Peterson.  Look for the Vikings to pick a WR when their turn comes around, or it is possible for them to take a defensive lineman if the right WR prospect isn’t to their liking because the line isn’t getting any younger.

3. Green Bay Packers– Another team in the North that can score with ease but struggled on the defensive side of the ball (except against the Bears) Replacing Charles Woodsen has to be high on their priority list going into the draft.  The other position to look at for the Packers is offensive tackle,  everyone talks about the Bears struggles but Aaron Rodgers was hit a lot this past season. If the right prospect drops to #26 look for the Packers to go offensive line and address the secondary needs later in the draft.