Links to the Best in NFC North Coverage: April 5 Edition

We're over the hump and one more day closer to the weekend. So grab some coffee or other morning beverage, sit back and peruse some of the NFC North chatter across the Internet.

Green Bay Packers

Packers fans can decide if this is good news or bad news, but Aaron Rodgers has made the final eight prospects of the 2013 Madden Cover vote. Curse? What curse?

Along with my take on the preseason slate here, Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee and Mike Dulka of AllGreenBayPackers.com add their two cents.

Tyler Dunne of the Journal-Sentinel has a look at Boise State's Shea McClellin, a guy Dunne says the Packers are looking hard at. McClellin is actually someone I've heard a lot of buzz about in "draft circles" and could go anywhere in the late second, early third.

Detroit Lions

Tim Twentyman has a nice look at how all four teams have fared in free agency over at DetroitLions.com.

MLive reporter Justin Rogers talks about Mel Kiper's latest mock which has Stanford tackle Jonathan Martin falling to the Lions.

Radio host and occasional Detroit Free Press blogger Jamie Samuelsen has a more sane response than yesterday's Sharp column on what to do with the Lions players on the recent police blotters.

Chicago Bears

ESPNChicago.com's Michael Wright takes a closer look at the Broncos vs. Bears preseason game and the shared player history involved.

Wright's ESPN co-worker Jeff Dickerson says the Bears might be looking to shore up the interior offensive line by adding former Cleveland guard Eric Steinbach who left Cleveland after refusing to take a pay cut.

Chicago Tribue reporter Brad Biggs tells us that it's starting to look unlikely DT Amobi Okoye will return to the Bears.

Minnesota Vikings

Mike Wobschall of Vikings.com continues the "Adrian Peterson Good News Report" by passing along that head coach Leslie Frazier is saying Peterson looks good in rehab thus far.

Over at the Star-Tribune Dan Weiderer talks about the signing of former Baltimore cornerback Chris Carr.

Finally, Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News has a little more information about the team denying any pursuit of Bill Parcells.