Breaking down NFC North odds following the 2020 NFL Draft

The 2020 NFL Draft is a wrap, and 90-man rosters are close to settled for most teams. There are a few big names still to be signed, and there will be plenty of minor transactions over the summer, but the largest volume of maneuvering is complete. For the NFC North, we’ve seen Nick Foles added and Stefon Diggs subtracted, but plenty of other moves that have helped shaped the division.

Back in February, DraftKings Sportsbook released divisional odds, and the Green Bay Packers were slight favorites over the Minnesota Vikings. But now, even after shipping Diggs out, the Vikings have moved into the favorite position after the Packers looked to the future in the draft by grabbing Jordan Love in the first round. Both the Packers and Vikings odds to win the division did fall while the Bears and Lions odds rose, as the oddsmakers saw these teams bunch up instead of get further apart.

We’ll break down each team’s divisional championship odds along with noting key additions and departures. (*=rookie)

Minnesota Vikings (Feb: +140, Post-draft: +160)

Notable additions: WR Justin Jefferson*, CB Jeff Gladney*, OT Ezra Cleveland*, WR Tajae Sharpe, DT Michael Pierce
Notable departures: WR Stefon Diggs, CB Xavier Rhodes, CB Trae Waynes, DT Linval Joseph

As noted earlier, the Vikings lost Diggs in a trade with the Bills but also lost some defensive strength with Xavier Rhodes and company getting pushed out. Rhodes has seen a sharp decline in production of late, so it’s hard to call his a huge loss but they’ll still need to replace him and Trae Waynes in the secondary.

The Addition of Justin Jefferson is a strong one, as he is a top prospect at wide receiver and has some of the same skills as Diggs. We’ll see how quickly he can make an impact but knowing he is there should be more comforting to betters than knowing Tajae Sharpe is there.

Green Bay Packers (Feb: +135, Post-draft: +175)

Notable additions: OT Ricky Wagner, WR Devin Funchess, QB Jordan Love*, RB A.J. Dillon*
Notable departures: LB Blake Martinez, OT Bryan Bulaga, WR Geronimo Allison, TE Jimmy Graham

The Packers added a possible quarterback of the future in Jordan Love and a good, but soon to be backup or committee member running back in the draft. A.J. Dillon should help the Packers solidify their run game into something pretty great, but with no help for Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams will once again need to carry the load while they hope Devin Funchess, Alan Lazard and Jace Sternberger can step up.

Chicago Bears (Feb: +500, Post-draft: +400)

Notable additions: QB Nick Foles, OT Germain Ifedi, DE Robert Quinn, TE Jimmy Graham, TE Cole Kmet*, CB Jaylon Johnson*
Notable departures: S HaHa Clinton-Dix, OLB Leonard Floyd, DT Nicholas Williams

The Bears likely upgraded their quarterback position with Nick Foles but it wasn’t a slam dunk upgrade while bringing in veteran and likely washed up Jimmy Graham to help them offensively. With a strong defense, maybe Foles helps turn the offense around enough to compete, especially after the Vikings and Packers both could be slightly worse than they were last season.

Detroit Lions (Feb: +900, Post-draft: +550)

Notable additions: OLB Jamie Collins, S Duron Harmon, CB Daryl Roberts, WR Geronimo Allison, CB Jeffrey Okudah*, RB D’Andre Swift*
Notable departures: OLB Devon Kennard, C Graham Glasgow, CB Rashaan Melvin, CB Darius Slay, OT Ricky Wagner

The Lions did well to upgrade their defense with Jeffrey Okudah in the first round and added a dynamic back in D’Andre Swift in the second round. Coach Patricia wants to run the ball and pass to his running backs much like his mentor Bill Belichick does, so Swift makes sense as the James White component of the running game. But, in the end, the return of Matthew Stafford from injury will be the biggest help for the offense. He was playing pretty well when hurt last season and, as far as the long shots to win the division go, they have one of the better chances of making a run.

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