Kmet, Swift, Jefferson Loom As Key NFC North Draft Picks Heading Into 2020 Season

The NFC North looks like it will be wide open this year.

While the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings go into the season as favorites to win the division according to sports gambling website OddsShark, both teams have vulnerabilities that could be exploited.

The Chicago Bears were division champions in 2018 and were anticipating a run as Super Bowl contenders last year before the combination of head coach Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky fell badly and the erstwhile Monsters of the Midway became a .500 team. The Bears have brought in former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles during the offseason to upgrade their dreadful play at the quarterback position.

The Detroit Lions have not responded well to Matt Patricia’s coaching in his first two years, as they have been a last-place team in 2018 and 2019. However, key personnel additions in the offseason including linebacker Jamie Collins and defensive tackle Danny Shelton from the New England Patriots, could turn the Lions around.

But the most important additions to each NFC North team may have come in the draft. In this piece, we look at the most influential additions from the 2020 NFL Draft.

TE Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears, 2^nd round, 43^rd pick overall

The Bears got less from their tight ends than any other team in the NFL last season, and the selection of the former Notre Dame star could be a huge addition. Kmet has the measurables as he is just a tick under 6-6 and comes in at 262 pounds. He is going to overpower most defensive backs in the battle for contested catches.

Kmet does an excellent job of finding the soft spots in zone coverage. He is not going to be a great deep threat since he does not have elite speed, but he can take over on a drive and string catches together.

Whether Foles or Trubisky is under center this season, the tight end could emerge as a key driver for the Chicago offense in 2020.

RB D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions, 2^nd round, 35^th pick overall

Swift was a gamebreaking running back with at Georgia, and the Lions need him to show off those tendencies once he dons the Honolulu Blue and Silver. The 5-8, 212-pound Swift has fine 4.48 speed, but it is agility that should make him a major threat in the NFL.

His ability to put a foot in the ground and change directions once he gets to the outside will give the Lions a dimension they have not had in years. Swift also has the initial burst to get through the hole in a heartbeat.

If Swift makes his adjustment to the pro game and can stay healthy, this should be wonderful news for quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has been fighting the battle without a winning running game for multiple seasons.

QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers, 1^st round, 26^th pick overall

The selection of Love was perhaps the most questionable move during the draft, because Aaron Rodgers remains one of the game’s elite quarterbacks and he is also the sensitive type. The Packers can say anything they want to support Rodgers, but the fact remains that they took Love with their first-round pick.

This will linger with Rodgers thoughout the remainder of his career with the team, and he will either use it to spur himself on to a championship-level performance, or start to slip as a result of his frustration.

Love has some decent skills, but he went from a 32-6 TD-interception ratio in 2018 to 20-17 in 2019. He has the size at nearly 6-4 and 224 pounds and the arm strength to develop into a workable NFL quarterback, but his presence on the roster is not going to help the Packers in 2020.

WR Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings, 1^st round, 22^nd pick

Jefferson was the first of the Vikings’ 15 draft selections this spring, and there is little doubt that the team needs him to step up and deliver as a rookie because they traded star wideout Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills in the offseason.

Jefferson was magnificent with LSU last season, as he caught 111 passes for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was in sync with Tiger quarterback Joe Burrow whenever the team needed a big play.

Jefferson is not going to be able to match Diggs’ speed, but he is an exceptional route runner with wonderful hands. Since the Vikings already have a strong No. 1 receiver in Adam Thielen, a pair of first-rate tight ends in Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr., Jefferson should have an opportunity to assert himself without getting extra attention from the defense.

If he can do that, and the Vikings can get running back Dalvin Cook into the fold without enduring a long holdout, the team should have an excellent chance of making a strong run in the division.