The best division in football might be the NFC North this season. After getting three teams into the NFC playoffs last year, each team comes back loaded with a chance to be great, and for one team, a chance to be great for the first time in a long time. The Lions are the reigning champs, but can’t seem to shake an injury bug that’s plagued them for over a season now. Can the Packers win the division once again? Will the Vikings take another step with a new QB? What in the hell are the Bears doing?
Let’s dig deep into the division and find some breakout players for each team.
Chicago Bears: WR Rome Odunze
The Bears’ offense last season was more of a collection of errors than a functioning NFL offense, but despite that I think WR Rome Odunze showed his ability to get open and focus when the ball is in the air. His 734 receiving yards were meager for a first round receiver of his stature, but he led all of the Bears’ high volume targets in first down rate when targeted and finished second among all Bears receivers in total EPA. Ben Johnson now comes over to call the plays and design the new offense, and I think the focal point could be around Odunze. Keenan Allen is a free agent, and DJ Moore’s skill set is sorta similar to rookie wideout Luther Burden III, but Odunze’s smooth skills on the outside could see a big increase in production.
Detroit Lions: OG Christian Mahogany
The Lions’ offensive line is getting a lot younger this season, but new full time starter Christian Mahogany could be in a position to breakout. I thought he was a bit of a sleeper entering the 2024 NFL Draft and now he gets the chance to be a full time starter next to Penei Sewell, one of the best offensive linemen in the game. Even with Ben Johnson being gone, offensive line coach Hank Fraley stays around to keep the strongest unit on the Lions together, and Mahogany could be the next guy up.
Green Bay Packers: LT Rasheed Walker
If you ask many casual NFL fans if they know Rasheed Walker and they might not be able to tell you, but Walker has constantly grown and is entering a contract year for Green Bay. He’s a smooth pass protector with the athleticism to frustrate a lot of the premier pass rushers in the NFL. The Packers will often leave him on islands as a pass protector, but he holds up really well in that area too:
If his athleticism can start to show up in the run game, he could find himself in line for a big extension in Green Bay.
Minnesota Vikings: QB JJ McCarthy
Last year, QB Sam Darnold took the starting job in Minnesota and simply had a career year en route to a big money deal with the Seahawks. With the offensive infrastructure in Minnesota, it’s hard to say anyone but JJ McCarthy is going to breakout for the Vikings. Before his season-ending knee injury, I thought he showed some really nice traits in the preseason action that he saw. His willingness to attack the middle of the field and smooth moves in the pocket give him some different flavors of QB’ing than Darnold, even if some of the efficiency might go down (he’s a rookie so expect that). However, throwing to WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, then TE TJ Hockenson is the best way to ease a transition into the NFL. I’m excited to see what McCarthy does.
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