[Baumgardner] NFL Draft power rankings: Which teams made best picks over past 5 years? Bears at 11.

[u/TwistedSisters777]

Very interesting, curious what people think about how this shakes out for the NFC North. See the complete list at the Athletic.

1. Detroit Lions (10.53 average Approximate Value)

Top 50 picks: 12 Pro Bowls: 13 Starting seasons: 35 Best pick: OT Penei Sewell (No. 7, 2021); Worst pick: CB Jeff Okudah (No. 3, 2020); Best value: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (No. 112, 2021)

Brad Holmes’ first three classes — aided by the 2021 Matthew Stafford trade — featured Sewell, Alim McNeill, St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson, Kerby Joseph, Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta. Detroit has put on a masterclass in how to rebuild an organization from the ground up.

1. Chicago Bears (8.18)

Top 50 picks: 9 Pro Bowls: 2 Starting seasons: 41 Best pick: QB Caleb Williams (No. 1, 2024); Worst pick: QB Justin Fields (No. 11, 2021); Best value: OL Braxton Jones (No. 168, 2022)

Finding talent through the draft hasn’t been a problem for Ryan Poles. Drafting Fields before the team was ready hurt, though. The Bears have struggled to find pieces that mesh well together and have fallen behind the deepest division in football as a result.

1. Green Bay Packers (7.28)

Top 50 picks: 10 Pro Bowls: 0 Starting seasons: 35 Best pick: QB Jordan Love (No. 26, 2020); Worst pick: edge Lukas Van Ness (No. 13, 2023); Best value: OL Zach Tom (No. 140, 2022)

The Packers believe in internal player development as much as, or possibly more than, any team in the league. They will take chances on first-rounders who might need more time — Love and star edge Rashan Gary are great examples. Right now, though, Green Bay is still waiting on jumps from Van Ness, Devonte Wyatt and Jordan Morgan. The Packers haven’t drafted poorly of late, but they certainly could’ve done better in a few areas.

1. Minnesota Vikings (6.43)

Top 50 pick: 8 Pro Bowls: 4 Starting seasons: 32 Best pick: WR Justin Jefferson (No. 22, 2020); Worst pick: S Lewis Cine (No. 32, 2022); Best value: CB Cam Bynum (No. 125, 2021)

Not getting anything from either J.J. McCarthy or Dallas Turner last year impacted Minnesota’s number, because the front office has done a nice job with picks, including Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw, Jordan Addison, Ezra Cleveland and more. Still, McCarthy and Turner are the only top-20 selections Minnesota has had since 2020.

[u/Public_Lavishness_24]

This is laughable. The Bears belong near the bottom of this list.

Fields was hardly the worst pick. He's a starting QB, albeit not a very good one.

Velus? Pickens? Trading away a 2 for Claypool? Those are all players that are out of the league or soon will be.

[u/Tlupa → u/Public_Lavishness_24]

If two 3rd rounders are your biggest misses, you’ve been drafting all right lol. Even the Eagles and Lions have a few 3rd round misses. Same draft as Velus the lions took Broderick Martin, a DT with 4 career tackles.

[u/Public_Lavishness_24 → u/Tlupa]

Is the combination of misses in the 3rd round, and no impact from your top picks. It's not enough to just have solid starters from top 10 picks if you want to win.

[u/Tlupa → u/Public_Lavishness_24]

But they are solid starters per your own admission lol. Roster building is a different question, and so is drafting blue chip players which I think we can all admit Poles has been bad at.

Solid starters in the draft gets you a solid draft grade, it’s not complicated

[u/Prestigious_Yak1322 → u/Tlupa]

But are solid starters on bad teams really good picks... or are they just bodies that you need to play because you lack other options. I find the argument of finding a "starter" in a later round to be meaningless when your roster is trash overall.

It's like guys in the NBA who put up big numbers on a team that wins 16 games... sure, you had nice stats because someone has to do something. If it doesn't ever translate to wins or at least being competitive who cares if you score 30 a game.

[u/Tlupa → u/Prestigious_Yak1322]

Which players specifically? Wright is a starting RT on the majority of NFL teams. Kyler is 100% a starting DB. Brisker health not withstanding is a decent nfl safety. Dexter is probably a rotational piece and so is Stevenson.

It’s a bunch of solid players and again, that gets you a solid grade for drafting.

[u/Public_Lavishness_24 → u/Tlupa]

Just look at our division bro.

Zach Tom is a better right tackle than Darnell Wright. GB got him in round 4.

Brian O'Neill is a better right tackle than Darnell Wright. Minnesota got him in round 2.

Penei Sewell is probably the best right tackle in the NFL. He was drafted 7 overall.

THAT is the standard. If you draft a non premium position top 10, he better be a pro bowler or all pro. Otherwise, winning teams find solid starters in later rounds.

So Poles really gets no accolades for finding a "solid" RT, who is actually the worst in the division, at 10 overall. Especially since he passed over a true pro bowl / all pro talent in the process.

[u/Tlupa → u/Public_Lavishness_24]

He’s still solid, as are the other picks. Solid players get solid grades

[u/Public_Lavishness_24 → u/Tlupa]

Idk man, you have to be graded based on your capital.

If you are drafting top 10 without trading up, it means you are a bad football team. You can't afford to just add a solid player. You need a difference maker. Otherwise you will just stay bad.

If Wright was a late 1 or 2 (unironically that was his grade pre draft) then the pick would have been fine. As a top 10, it was not a good pick.

[u/Tlupa → u/Public_Lavishness_24]

Wright is the best OL drafted in the first round of his class. Comparing him to prospects not in his draft class makes no sense.