The NFL Draft continued into the weekend and it was a big couple days for the NFC North. Let’s take a look at each NFC North teams’ day 2 and 3 picks starting with the Bears and Vikings.
Chicago Bears
The Bears traded up for Mitch Trubisky (QB) in Round 1 and gave up a 3rd round pick and a 4th round pick plus a 3rd rounder in 2018. The Bears still had a few picks remaining and decided to trade down in Round 2 to acquire a few more selections. Chicago traded pick 36 and Pick 221 (Round 7) for Pick 45, Pick 119 (Round 4), Pick 197 (Round 6) and a 4th round pick in 2018. Pace got a lot of picks back after giving up a boatload of picks in Round 1.
Pick 45: Adam Shaheen TE (Ashland)
At pick 45, Pace selected TE Adam Shaheen from small school Ashland. Shaheen was a late riser tight end prospect but there are a lot of questions about this pick. The Bears have oft injured Zach Miller and gave Dion Sims 6 million per season. Shaheen could be a complete tight end but the Bears made a surprise move with this selection .Shaheen is 6’7 and 257 pounds with good blocking skills. He ran an a4.79 40 and had 24 reps with good strength on the bench press. He is stiff in his routes but his massive size makes him a red zone threat.
Pick 112 Round 4: Eddie Jackson Safety (USC)
The Bears finally got some defensive help. Jackson was a third tier safety and should be a free safety in the league. Jackson was productive for USC and can be a decent center fielder at free safety. He misses too many tackles but has some cover skills. The Bears gave up pick 197 (6th round) to move up to pick at 112 from 117.
Pick 119 Round 4: Tarik Cohen RB (NC A&T)
The Bears added a small school RB. Ryan Pace went deep into scouting with two small school prospects in Round 2 and 4. Cohen is only 5’6 and 179 pounds but is very shifty. His nickname is the “Human Joystick” so the Bears may have added a great change of pace back to Jordan Howard.
Pick 147 Round 5 Jordan Morgan Guard (Kutztown University)
Pace kept with his small school theme and added a guard from tiny Kutztown. Morgan is 6’3 and 309 pounds with good mass and aggressiveness. He needs to work on his balance but has good hand placement. The Bears needed interior offensive line depth and they got that with Morgan.
Minnesota Vikings
Pick 41 Round 2: Dalvin Cook RB (Florida State)
The Vikings finally made a selection on day 2. Minnesota traded up from pick 48 to pick 41 while giving up pick 128 (Round 4). Minnesota selected RB Dalvin Cook to replace Adrian Peterson. Cook was highly productive with good size and speed at Florida State. He will be a workhorse back but does have some shoulder and off field concerns. Cook was a good pick and should be the future at RB for the Vikings. They took Latavius Murray in free agency and have a nice one two punch.
Pick 70 Round 3: Pat Efflein Center (Ohio State)
The Vikings traded up again in Round 3. They moved from pick 79 to pick 70 with the Jets and gave up pick 160 in Round 5. The Vikings drafted their future center in Pat Efflein. Efflein was the top center on the board and very experienced player with the Buckeyes. He is smart, good on the second level and has enough mass to anchor. The Vikings needed an upgrade to their interior offensive line and can shift Joe Berger to right guard now.
Trades:
Vikings traded back from pick 86 with their other 3rd round pick for pick 104 (late 3rd), pick 132 (4th round pick) and pick 245 (7th round) from Kansas City. Vikings then traded back again as Spielman sent pick 104 to the Rams for pick 109 and pick 219 (Round 7). Vikings traded pick 132 for pick 139 and pick 230. Slick Rick traded pick 139 for pick 170 (Round 5) and pick 180 (Round 5). Spielman was wheeling and dealing on day 2 and day 3 and ended up with some extra picks.
Round 4 Pick 109: Jaleel Johnson DT (Iowa)
Jaleel Johnson added the Vikings defensive tackle depth. He is a big bodied DT that can penetrate. He didn’t test well at the combined and dropped to Round 4 but he was a playmaker and hole stuffer for the Hawkeyes.
Round 4 Pick 120: Ben Gedeon ILB (Michigan)
Rick Spielman added LB with Gedeon in Round 4. Gedeon was another non-measurable type player that just produces. Chad Greenway retired but Gedeon may stay inside and replace Audi Cole. Gedeon is 6’2 and 244 pounds and showed good strength on the bench press. He has good instincts and leadership but is a limited athlete. He may have trouble with man coverage and had many missed tackles.
Round 5 Pick 170: Rodney Adams WR (South Florida)
The Vikings finally added to their WR corp. Adams is 6’1 and 189 and should stretch the field for the Vikings. He ran a 4.44 40 yard dash and runs crisp routes for the Bulls. He is thin with small hands and had a terrible drop rate though.
Round 5 Pick 180: Danny Isadora Guard (Miami)
Spielman stayed in South Florida but added from a different school. He selected Danny Isadora from the U. Isadora is 6’3 and 309 pounds with the size to play guard. Minnesota adds interior depth needed with this selection. He can anchor and get to the second level but must work on his balance. He must move his feet better but has the chance to develop into a starting guard.
Round 6 Pick 201: Bucky Hodges TE (Virginia Tech)
The Vikings added a good utility player in Hodges. Hodges can move around into the backfield, play in line tight end and flex out to the slot. He is 6’6 and 257 pounds with good hands. He must work on his blocker more but can replace Rhett Ellison who moved to the Giants in free agency.
Round 7 Picks (4 Selections for Minnesota)
The Vikings took four selections in Round 7 as fliers. WR Stacey Cole from Miami has some speed. Defensive lineman Ifeadi Odenigbo is an undersized edge rusher with some speed from Northwestern. Elijah Lee is a LB from Kansas State for depth. Finally, Jack Tocho is a CB from NC State. Tocho is 6’0 and 202 pounds but probably practice squad material in Round 7.
We’ll take a look at the Packers and Lions day 2 and 3 of the 2017 draft in the next article.