How the rest of NFC North's intriguing first-round picks impact the Bears

The NFL Draft provides an opportunity for all 32 teams to improve their respective rosters with the hope of building a long-standing contender in the league, and Chicago Bears fans saw that with their team.

Obviously, Bears fans will be locked in with everything general manager Ryan Poles does with this latest draft class, and it started with selecting Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick, but it's important to keep tabs on the rest of the NFC North.

The Bears won the division with an 11-5 record, but the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Minnesota Vikings will all be looking to reclaim the NFC North crown this upcoming season. Here are the selections for the rest of the NFC North and how these new players impact the division. The Packers traded their 2026 first-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys last year in return for edge rusher Micah Parsons.

Detroit Lions, Pick 17: Clemson OT Blake Miller

The Lions upgraded the offensive line with the 6-foot-7, 315-pound right tackle, who will likely compete for the starting job with Larry Borom. Detroit moved All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell to the left side to fill the vacated hole left by long-time pro Taylor Decker.

Miller has 54 career starts at right tackle and will play a huge part in helping keep Jared Goff upright. The Lions swept the Bears last season, and Goff threw for 665 yards and six touchdowns in those matchups against Chicago. Dennis Allen’s defense sacked Goff just two times, both occurring in the Week 18 game.

With Miller in place to anchor the right side of the Lions’ line, the Bears will be challenged trying to find ways to pressure Goff this upcoming season.

Minnesota Vikings, Pick 18: Florida DT Caleb Banks

This was a surprising pick by the Vikings, especially since Thieneman was still on the board and could’ve been the safety of the future once Harrison Smith calls it a career. Instead, the Vikings selected Caleb Banks.

AT 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, Banks is a large and disruptive defensive tackle. When he is healthy, he can win one-on-one matchups with quickness and power.

That’s been the main issue with Banks, though. He has had two serious foot injuries in less than a year and won’t be available for football activities until June. If Banks does return healthy and ready to go, he’s someone who can easily overmatch a smaller interior offensive line, or in the Bears’ case, center Garrett Bradbury.

The Bears will have to game plan for the talented rookie, but Banks needs to prove he can stay healthy before anything happens during the regular season.

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