Let’s look at the first-round draft picks of the NFC North rivals to the Packers."

/>Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesAcme Packing Company homepageHorizontal - WhiteAcme Packing Companya Green Bay Packers communityFollow Acme Packing Company online:Follow Acme Packing Company on TwitterFollow Acme Packing Company on FacebookFollow Acme Packing Company on InstagramLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchAcme Packing Company main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsPackersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCDTThe first round of the draft came and went for the NFL on Thursday night Jaire Alexander Jersey , and boy was it a doozy. There was a lot of movement with teams (including the Packers) moving up for their picks and a bunch of teams marred with question marks by draft pundits.Of course, the Chicago Bears already swapped out their first-round draft pick for Khalil Mack in a trade with the Raiders last season (and he’s pretty good), so I’m sure they’re not too worried about missing out. But the Detroit Lions picked at the eighth spot, the Packers at 12 and again after moving up to 21 at the expense of two fourth-round picks, and the Minnesota Vikings made their first-round selection at pick 18. We’re about to take a look at the draft picks the NFC North teams not located in Green Bay made.Detroit Lions: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa // Pick 8Hockenson had been mocked quite frequently to the Packers at 12, but the Lions decided to grab him up, assuring that he had no chance to find himself in green and gold. Another weapon for Matthew Stafford, Hockenson fills a void that was left last year when Eric Ebron was having a career year in Indianapolis. Hockenson has the chance to be the next great tight end in the NFL – if the Lions use him correctly. He’s a big tight end who has great pass catching skills, but is still an able and willing blocker. He draws comparisons to Travis Kelce, but it’s tough to tell now if he’ll hit that ceiling. Should the Packers be worried about the move? Probably a little. The Lions don’t have Golden Tate anymore, but Kenny Golladay is also a big target to go along with their new 6-foot-5 tight end. Head coach Matt Patricia does have experience being on the same coaching staff that worked with Rob Gronkowski, so they might be continuing to think along the lines of being the Patriots of the NFC. Minnesota Vikings: Garrett Bradbury, C, NC State // Pick 18The suggestion here on Draft Twitter was that Bradbury could slide in at center for the Vikings and push Pat Elflein out to a guard position. This is a draft pick that brings some much-needed help on the offensive line for the Vikings to keep would-be pass rushers out of Kirk Cousins’ face and open some inside lanes for Dalvin Cook to exploit. Bradbury has great balance in pass protection, but he’s not the quickest off the line-of-scrimmage and is slightly undersized. He can, of course, put on more size at the NFL level, but that might require him sacrificing some more burst. And Kenny Clark is one of the quickest defensive tackles in the league getting off the snap. The good news for Vikings fans is that Bradbury is relatively new to the center position and has been getting better and better. He was a tight end when he initially came to NC State, but converted to line. In his final two seasons, he improved as a blocker in both the run and the pass, per Pro Football Focus. They also have him graded highly as a pass protector for not giving up too many pressures in pass protection (just 10 in 2018).Should the Packers be worried here? Again Lane Taylor Color Rush Jersey , maybe slightly. It’s not the move that turns a franchise into an instant winner, but getting the pieces to put together a solid offensive line allows the team to build a foundation that reaches across the rest of the offense. As stated before, keeping Cousins upright is a priority and a lack of offensive line depth made that prospect much bleaker before this pick. The Pack will have to get a little more creative with their pass rush schemes now that Bradbury is in the fold. MINNEAPOLIS — The final weekend of November has arrived, with this Green Bay-Minnesota game predictably carrying plenty of weight toward the race for the NFC playoffs.The twist, though, is the Packers and Vikings are stuck in the thick of the wild-card mix. The Bears, having beaten the Vikings last week, are the team with a healthy lead in the NFC North, which has been won only by Green Bay (five) or Minnesota (two) since Chicago’s last division title in 2010.More Packers coverage from FOX Sports WisconsinBucks’ Wes Matthews loves Wisconsin, is a Vikings fanPreview: Packers look to slow Vikings’ revitalized run gameTop Tweets: Yelich thanks fans for support after season-ending injuryAmos sparks rebuilt Packers defense in debutPackers to be tested again by familiar foe in Zimmer, Vikings“I definitely didn’t expect to be sitting where we’re sitting, but our record is what it is,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “Obviously, Minnesota has a strong team. They’re probably surprised where they’re sitting as well. So I don’t think either of us is out of the division race.”Both the Packers (4-5-1) and Vikings (5-4-1) have one more game remaining against the Bears (8-3), but they’re each lugging that 29-all tie in Green Bay on Sept. 16 down the stretch like a back tire that’s low on air.“Maybe it will help us, and maybe it’ll hurt us, too,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “I don’t really know.”The Packers will play three of their final five games at home, which is helpful because they’ve yet to win on the road this year. They’ll have a more-mobile Rodgers than in their last matchup with the Vikings, when he was grinding through a knee injury.“He looks like his old self, unfortunately,” Zimmer said.If the Vikings beat the Packers at home for the third straight time, they’ll at least own a tiebreaker over their biggest rival. They’d still be 1½ games behind the Bears https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Kevin-King-Jersey , though, with a difficult stretch of the schedule ahead.“We’ll definitely have to play four quarters,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, “and maybe more than that.”Here are some other key angles to follow with the game:NOT-SO-PRIME TIMEThe Vikings are playing in the NFL’s premier Sunday night slot for the second straight week, triggering a magnification of their struggles with the bright lights on this season. They’ve lost all three of their night games, in Los Angeles to the Rams on Sept. 27, at home against the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 28. and at Chicago last week. The Rams, Saints and Bears boast the top three records in the NFC, a combined 28-5.“I guess we’re just playing good teams,” Zimmer said. “That might be the real factor.”7<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Upon Further Review: Packers at SeahawksAP | APCousins has a 4-12 career record as a starter when kickoff is in the evening, though he has a 68 percent completion rate with 31 touchdowns and 16 interceptions and an average of 305 passing yards in those 16 games.“It gets a little bit convoluted when you try to look at a stat and pair it with a player,” Cousins said. “It becomes maybe a bigger, more complicated picture than just a win-loss record and trying to judge performance.”THIRD DOWNERSThe Packers are 19th in the NFL with a 38 percent conversion rate on third down. They’re up against a Vikings defense that leads the league on third downs, allowing the chains to move only 28 percent of the time.One problem for the Packers has been the absence of wide receiver Randall Cobb, long one of Rodgers’ most reliable options. He has missed half of Green Bay’s games with a hamstring injury, including the last two contests, but he could return to action Sunday.SACKMASTER FACKRELLOutside linebacker Nick Perry missed Green Bay’s last game at Seattle, but third-year backup Kyler Fackrell made his absence moot with three sacks, his second such performance this season. Fackrell has eight sacks this year, more than starters Perry and Clay Matthews combined.“The more you play, the more you get comfortable with it, the less encumbered you are with the thinking part,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said.JONESING FOR THE BALLPackers running back Aaron Jones didn’t play against the Vikings earlier this season because of a suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Jones has 342 rushing yards and four touchdowns over the last four games Clay Matthews Jersey , plus 12 receptions for 100 yards and a score. He’s the league leader in yards per rush with an average of 6.4.10<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Top Tweets: Lil Wayne is still a Packers fanJoseph Weiser-USA TODAY Sports | Joseph WeiserHELP FROM HARRISVikings safety Andrew Sendejo will miss his sixth straight game because of a groin injury, but Anthony Harris has capably filled in as the starter in the previous two games. He had two interceptions against the Bears.“I’m just coming in each day preparing like I’m going to be out there every snap and just trying to take advantage of any opportunities given,” Harris said. “So each year, I’ve just been trying to take strides in getting better and increase my role and help this team win.”Harris signed with the Vikings in 2015 as undrafted rookie out of Virginia. Zimmer praised his progress with becoming more of a physical player as well as gaining a better understanding of the system.“I just think confidence,” Zimmer said. “You know, he sees things and reacts. He’s a good visual player, I think. He’s very smart.”—GREEN BAY (4-5-1) at MINNESOTA (5-4-1)Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBCOPENING LINE — Vikings by 4RECORD VS. SPREAD — Green Bay 4-5-1, Minnesota 5-4-1SERIES RECORD — Packers lead 60-53-3LAST MEETING — Vikings and Packers tied 29-29, Sept. 16LAST WEEK — Packers lost to Seahawks 27-24; Vikings lost to Bears 25-20AP PRO32 RANKING — Packers No. 16, Vikings No. 10PACKERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (8), RUSH (T17), PASS (7).PACKERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (12), RUSH (26), PASS (5).VIKINGS OFFENSE — OVERALL (14), RUSH (31), PASS (8).VIKINGS DEFENSE — OVERALL (5), RUSH (4), PASS (6).STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Packers have lost first two trips to U.S. Bank Stadium but are 7-5 under coach Mike McCarthy in Minnesota. … Earlier tie is one of two draws in NFL this season. … Packers have lost seven straight regular-season road games, since winning in overtime at Browns on Dec. 10, 2017. … Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Blake Martinez Color Rush Jersey , including playoffs, is 12-7-1 as starter in career against Vikings. In last two road games against Vikings, he has produced two lowest passer ratings of those 20 contests, including last year when hit by Vikings LB Anthony Barr in first quarter broke his collarbone. … Rodgers has 26 TDs and no interceptions in last 10 games against NFC North teams. He had streak of 28 straight TD passes without interception against division foes from 2013-15. … Packers RB Aaron Jones, who missed earlier matchup due to suspension, has 342 rushing yards and four TDs in last four games, plus 12 receptions for 100 yards and one TD. Jones leads league with average of 6.4 yards per rush. … Packers lead NFL in sacks per pass attempt (32 in 325, for 10.46 percent). LB Kyler Fackrell, starting in place of injured Nick Perry, had three sacks last week against Seahawks. DT Kenny Clark has four sacks in last five games. … Vikings have lost all three night games this season, at Rams, against Saints and at Bears. … Vikings have 16 turnovers, fourth most in league. QB Kirk Cousins has been charged with 13 of them, seven interceptions and six fumbles. …. Vikings WRs Adam Thielen (85, first) and Stefon Diggs (71, sixth) are only teammates ranking in top 10 in NFL in receptions. … Thielen has 35 receptions, 453 yards and three TDs in last four games against Packers. … Vikings have allowed only four runs of 15-plus yards, fewest in league. … Fantasy tip: Packers allowed 173 rushing yards to Seahawks last week. Vikings have rushed for 408 yards and six TDs in last three home games, making RB Dalvin Cook a good bounce-back play despite only 10 total yards and fumble on 12 touches last week against Bears.