Ranking the NFC North Rosters, Pre-NFL Draft Edition

We've talked quarterbacks, we've talked cornerbacks, we've talked offense, defense and special teams.

When you put it all together though, which NFC North team has the best roster?

Sharpen your knives, shine your pitchforks, light the torches—I'm about to share my thoughts on the subject.

To draw it out, I'm flipping the script on this thing and going worst to first.

Clearly, at least right now, the top three are going to be the Bears, Lions and Packers (that's in alphabetical order so settle down). All three teams have the combination of playmakers, depth, youth and veteran savvy which make for a successful season.

Sadly, that leaves out the Vikings, at least for now.

Minnesota Vikings

It's not that the Vikings don't have talent, they definitely do. There's just not quite enough of it to compete with the teams ahead of them.

You can't deny Adrian Peterson or Percy Harvin, and Jared Allen anchors a better than recognized defense. There are too many holes in the secondary, a lack of receivers aside from Harvin and an overall lack of depth which are concerns.

One of the biggest questions revolves around Christian Ponder. I really liked him coming into the draft and believe he will develop into a fine starter for the Vikings. They need to protect him a bit better and get him more weapons, but ultimately his progress this year comes down to him. He needs to improve his reads, get the ball out quicker and quite simply, play better.

As I said, I have a great deal of belief he will prove himself over the next few years.

This is a rebuilding team, to be sure. This coming draft will help build a foundation from which to make a step forward.

The next three are really close, as is reflected in the standings every season.

OK, NOW is where you start lighting things on fire.

Chicago Bears

This was a tough one. As I stacked the rosters of the Bears, Packers and Lions, you can see that each excels in different areas. I would take Matt Forte over any back on the other two rosters, for example, but the defensive line of the Lions is better than the Bears and I'll take Aaron Rodgers over just about any quarterback.

It's a game of inches and in this case, the Bears are just a bit behind the Lions and Packers.

Jay Cutler is a tremendous quarterback and he finally has a worthy receiver in Brandon Marshall, though whether Marshall is elite or not remains to be seen, as he never had much help in Miami. The rest of the receivers are so-so, the offensive line has issues (whether the Bears believe it or not) and the secondary is good, but not at the level it could be.

In a league where tight ends are starting to emerge as huge match-up problems, the lack of a real dangerous tight end stands out. This isn't the draft class to fix that, unfortunately, so there will be time to see if the answer might be on the roster already.

Overall, this team has a great defense and a good offense. We'll see if between the draft and a full preseason if they can close the gap on the other two.

Detroit Lions

Again, a very tough decision. The defensive front of the Lions is tremendous, especially the defensive line. The secondary is more than the sum of its parts—there are a couple of great players and a lot of 'other guys'. They get the job done, but as a whole the secondary can be improved (which honestly, could be said for the whole division). 

Offensively, we're looking at an explosive passing attack. The wide receiver group is as deep as any in the league, with arguably the best wide receiver in the game in Calvin Johnson.

I'm also a big fan of Titus Young and Nate Burleson, though it gets a wee bit thin after those two and Johnson.

The backfield has a few more issues and its worth will be weighed by whether Jahvid Best can avoid more head injuries and if Mikel LeShoure can deliver on the promise we saw before he hurt himself last preseason. 

It's a problem. The offensive line has gotten better, but more depth or a stud player at one of the spots would make life easier. Finally, Brandon Pettigrew is the second best tight end in the division and has only really just begun his career. 

Green Bay Packers

By barest of margins, the best roster in the NFC North is the Packers'.  

Aaron Rodgers leads a tremendous passing game and while Greg Jennings is no Calvin Johnson, he's become a huge threat regardless. Jordy Nelson, James Jones, an emerging Randall Cobb and the ageless Donald Driver are a tremendous group, on par overall with the Lions for quality depth.

Of course, Jermichael Finley is the best tight end in the division (for now).

While the secondary is in a bit of turmoil, the overall talent level there is high. Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams are a tremendous pair of corners. If Nick Collins comes back, he's a Pro Bowl safety. There were secondary problems, but some of that was the pass rush (or lack thereof).

While the pass rush was often absent, the overall talent of the front seven is really good. Clay Matthews especially is the foundation for this front and if the Packers draft a good OLB to go with him, they'll be almost impossible to stop.

While there were some issues defensively last year, the talent is on the roster to play and play well. It's just a matter of getting it back on track.

As I said, it's a matter of inches between these three teams and an argument could be made for any of them.

I can be sure they will be made in the comments—after the pitchforks are cleaned and the torches are doused and my flaming corpse is dumped into the river (your choice of river), of course.