Detroit's Stunning Picks Highlight an Odd First Round For Vikings' Division Foes

The Vikings probably feel OK about what their division rivals did on Thursday night.

The Vikings had a mostly uneventful, unsurprising first night of the 2023 NFL Draft, staying put at 23 and selecting a talented player at a premium position in USC wide receiver Jordan Addison, which filled an obvious need due to Adam Thielen's departure.

Earlier in the evening, the rest of the NFC North got weird.

The Chicago Bears, holding the No. 9 pick after trading out of No. 1 earlier this offseason, chose not to take Georgia DT Jalen Carter, instead trading back one spot with the Eagles — who took Carter — and picking Tennessee OT Darnell Wright. The pick makes sense, as Wright is a promising tackle prospect and the Bears need to protect Justin Fields, but it can still be viewed as a bit of a reach. Wright, taken with the tenth pick, was 23rd on the analyst consensus big board and 25th in The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler's rankings.

With the 13th pick, the Packers passed up on a wide receiver once again and selected Iowa defensive end Lukas Van Ness. A long, quick athlete with a big-time motor, Van Ness has major upside despite not starting a single game at Iowa. Brugler ranked him 10th and Daniel Jeremiah ranked him 14th on his overall board, but others were lower, as Van Ness was 17th on the consensus board. It's a reasonable pick, but Van Ness needs plenty of development and a receiver like Jaxon Smith-Njigba could've been a big help for Jordan Love as he takes over the starting job.

Neither the Bears nor the Packers were the biggest offender in the division. That would be the Detroit Lions, who made two of the most shocking selections in the entire first round.

Holding the sixth pick, the Lions traded back to 12 in a deal with the Cardinals, getting picks 12, 34, and 168 for picks 6 and 81. That was a win for Detroit, according to the trade value charts. But then, stunningly, the Lions used the 12th pick on Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Not only is running back not a premium position in the modern NFL, Gibbs ranked 25th on the consensus board and 29th on Jeremiah's board. Gibbs is a fun, talented player who will also be a weapon as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, but history suggests that taking a running back that high just isn't a good idea.

What makes the pick even more confusing is that the Lions already had D'Andre Swift (who is now a trade candidate) and David Montgomery on their roster. They gave Montgomery a three-year, $18 million deal in free agency and then used the 12th pick on another running back, which feels like bad process.

Six picks later, the Lions came up again — and made another surprising pick that disregarded positional value, taking Iowa inside linebacker Jack Campbell at 18. Campbell was 44th on the consensus board, 49th on Jeremiah's board, and the 52nd-ranked player for Brugler. Very few analysts had Campbell as a first-round pick, and the Lions took him 18th overall. Linebacker was a need for the Lions and Campbell is a nice prospect, but it's hard to view that pick as anything other than a major reach by Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes.

Some will argue that the Lions having so many early draft picks — in addition to the two firsts, they have three second-rounders and a third-rounder on Friday — means they can get away with disregarding positional value. I don't think I agree with that idea. Even though Gibbs and Campbell could be good players, positional value is important when projecting impact. Plus, it really seems like the Lions could've waited on both players and still selected them. Gibbs presumably would've been available at 18 and maybe even 34. Campbell feels like a guy who almost certainly would've been available at 34 and maybe even 48 or 55, their other second-round picks.

The Lions signed David Montgomery and Alex Anzalone to 3/$18M deals and then drafted a running back and off-ball LB with Top 20 picks

Just a nonsensical approach rn

— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@SpielbergerBrad) April 28, 2023

No one knows right now what will happen with the careers of any of the players taken in this draft, so any immediate analysis involves plenty of speculation. But I think it's fair to judge the process.

The Vikings came away with a good player in Addison on Thursday night, and they probably aren't too bummed about the decisions made by their three division rivals. The Lions, who are projected to be Minnesota's toughest competition in the North, made two head-scratching picks. The Bears may have reached a bit on an offensive tackle. And the Packers took a raw edge rusher, a position the Vikings are well-equipped to handle with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill at OT.

Anything can happen, but in a strange night for the NFC North, the Vikings seem to have come out on top.

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