NFC North Rankings – who’s the best in the division at each skill position?

Training camp is underway and teams are beginning to set their depth charts.

This gives us the perfect opportunity to see how the Vikings rank against their NFC North counterparts in each offensive skill position group.

Quarterback

  1. Jared Goff – Detroit Lions
  2. Jordan Love – Green Bay Packers
  3. Sam Darnold – Minnesota Vikings
  4. Caleb Williams – Chicago Bears

Some might think of Jared Goff as vanilla, boring or just a system QB, but he’s a quarterback who’s nearly done it all. He’s made it to multiple championship games and we only have the Brady-Belichick combination to thank for not having to say the Lions have a Super Bowl winner under center. For me, Goff is the clear number one here ahead of Jordan Love, because we’ve only seen half a good season from the Packers’ signal-caller and there’s no saying he won’t revert back to what the Vikings picked apart last season at Lambeau.

I still have both ahead of our own Sam Darnold. He’s ahead of Williams for now in my rankings because we’ve seen flashes from Sam Darnold in the NFL but we’ve seen nothing from Williams at this level yet. Like all first-round QBs, there’s a 50/50 chance Williams could be a bust. While that number has been more favourable for first overall picks, there’s been enough Jameis Winstons and Jamarcus Russells to say that Williams might not be an overnight success.

Running backs

  1. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery – Detroit Lions
  2. Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler – Minnesota Vikings
  3. Josh Jacobs and A. J. Dillon – Green Bay Packers
  4. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson – Chicago Bears

I’m trying not to sound too full of admiration for the Detroit Lions here, but when everyone labelled Jahmyr Gibbs a reach, they couldn’t have been more wrong! His acquisition combined with the resurgence of David Montgomery has made for a frightening one-two punch. The Vikings’ new-look one-two punch isn’t far behind – if veteran Aaron Jones can stay healthy, then we’ve got every reason to be optimistic. If Ty Chandler lives up to the hype generated from the flashes we saw last season then we’ve got a really potent duo to carry the rock!

My optimism for Chandler is what puts the Vikings above the Green Bay pairing of Jacobs and Dillon. Jacobs may have led the running back stat line a couple of seasons ago, but Aaron Jones is one of the most statistically impressive runners in NFL history. As for Dillon I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s usurped for the Packers RB2 role by late third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd.

That just leaves the Bears duo. Swift was traded to the Eagles by the Lions over a year ago, and given the success they’ve had with Swift’s replacement, Gibbs, the decision was justified. Swift is backed up by Roschon Johnson, the one player on this list I needed to google as I had no clue who Swift’s backup was. I’m not convinced by the pairing, despite Swift making his first Pro Bowl last season. In my opinion, Pro Bowl selections have lost nearly all their credibility due to the high school-style popularity contest the Pro Bowl voting has become.

Wide receiver

  1. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Brandon Powell – Minnesota Vikings
  2. Keenan Allen, D. J. Moore and Rome Odunze – Chicago Bears
  3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond – Detroit Lions
  4. Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed – Green Bay Packers

When it comes to the wide receiver groups in the NFC North, it is irrelevant who wins the role of the Vikings’ third wideout. I’ll take Jefferson and Addison over any trio the rest of the division can put together. Jefferson is the best receiver in football and has shown on multiple occasions he can come down with the ball in triple coverage. Addison could arguably be a number one receiver for half the league, and he and Powell stepped up when Jefferson was injured last campaign. Recent events have shown Addison’s biggest problem is keeping out of trouble and the Vikings should expect a suspension from the league if they don’t issue one themselves. On the field, however, a healthy Jefferson and an unsuspended Addison will continue to be a potent combination.

In the rest of the NFC North, I have the Bears ahead of the Lions in this category. Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown is the division’s second best receiver, but the strength of Chicago’s trio of Allen, Moore and rookie Odunze is the second best gift a franchise could get their rookie quarterback – the best gift, of course, being Justin Jefferson locked into a new contract.

Finally, there is Green Bay’s odd approach to decide they don’t need to give their quarterback an outstanding pass-catching talent and instead give him a cluster of “good” receivers and hope they all perform every week. Elite receivers might not be easy to come by but the Packers’ conservative approach could cost them in tight games.

Tight end

  1. Sam LaPorta – Detroit Lions
  2. T. J. Hockenson – Minnesota Vikings
  3. Cole Kmet – Chicago Bears
  4. Luke Musgrave – Green Bay Packers

I started this article off by putting Caleb Williams below Sam Darnold because he’s shown us nothing at the NFL level yet. Detroit’s Sam LaPorta is the perfect example of how to prove yourself at the highest level. He led all tight ends in receiving touchdowns last year and while his receiving yardage might not be the highest, it’s points that win prizes.

The one tight end who could’ve taken LaPorta’s place at number one on this list would’ve been a healthy T. J. Hockenson. The Hock is an elite player at the position but he’s coming back from a serious injury. While I’m hopeful he will get back to his best, it would be foolish to assume he won’t need game time to get back up to speed, whatever point in the season he returns.

Cole Kmet of Chicago is another good tight end that no team would turn their nose up at. I like Kmet, he’s a fantasy sleeper in my eyes, a player who should be picked much earlier after the usual Kelce/Andrews tight end rush. Historically he’s not as impactful as LaPorta or Hockenson but a good tight end can be a rookie quarterback’s best friend.

Finally, we have Luke Musgrave of the Packers. His rookie year was nowhere near the level of Sam LaPorta’s. If you were to describe it in one word, then that word would be “fine”. Not great but not terrible. However, in an NFC North of such talented tight ends, “fine” is going to leave you at the bottom of the rankings here.

So there you have it, my ranking of all the NFC North’s skill position groups ahead of the 2024 season. Have I been harsh on Caleb Williams? Do you share my optimism for Ty Chandler? Be sure to share your opinions on all our social media channels.