Who Are the Early Mock Draft Favorites for Teams in the NFC North?

The Senior Bowl, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl are over, the NFL Scouting Combine looms later in February and the start of free agency is still more than a month away. It is now officially mock draft season in the NFL. 

Projections this early in February might have little meaning on what will actually happen come late April, but the mock draft process is still beneficial for matching team needs with qualified prospects. 

In the NFC North, big needs—or the roster holes potentially requiring a first-round pick to fill—are well-defined. 

The Chicago Bears need defense. The Detroit Lions may need to rebuild at defensive tackle. The Green Bay Packers need an inside linebacker. The Minnesota Vikings need a receiver. 

Most of the early mock drafts agree with the specific team holes. 

We scanned through the most recent mocks of Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, Rotoworld's Josh Norris, CBS Sports' Dane Brugler, NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN's Mel Kiper to help establish the early first-round favorites for all four teams in the NFC North. And the player results were congruent with the team needs. 

Much will change over the next few months, especially with the scouting combine and free agency still to come. But here's how the top draft analysts are picking early on for the four teams in the NFC North: 

Chicago Bears

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OLB Shane Ray, Missouri (Miller, Norris, Brugler, Jeremiah) 

After allowing the most points in football over the last two seasons, the Bears are essentially locked into making a defensive pick at No. 7 overall. Arguably no team needs to get younger and more talented on defense. 

The arrival of new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and his preferred 3-4 front has amplified the craving for more disruptive play on the edges. 

Insert Ray, whom Jeremiah calls a "dynamic edge-rusher." Miller compared Ray to Cameron Wake, a versatile edge player for the Miami Dolphins who has tallied double-digit sacks as both a 3-4 outside linebacker and 4-3 defensive end. 

Brugler and Norris were also on board with the Bears going Ray at No. 7 overall. 

And why? Obvious need meets potential opportunity meets undeniable talent. 

From Lance Zierlein's draft profile of Ray on NFL.com: 

"

It's hard to find many weaknesses for Ray. He pursues the quarterback and the ball like it's his last snap. An alpha male packaged in an explosive frame, Ray has the traits and skills to be a dominant pass rusher and potential Pro Bowler. He also has the athleticism and strength to play in any defensive front.

"

Disruptive. Explosive. Energy. Attitude. Versatile. Sounds like exactly the type of player the Bears need to jump-start a defensive revival in Chicago. 

Others: S Landon Collins, Alabama (Kiper)

Detroit Lions

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DT Malcom Brown, Texas (Norris, Kiper) 

Brown was far from a consensus pick among the five, but the defensive tackle position nearly earned a clean sweep. Four of the five drafters gave the Lions a first-round talent inside, likely in response to the current free-agent statuses of All-Pro Ndamukong Suh and former top pick Nick Fairley. 

Defensive tackle will immediately become a top need if Suh leaves Detroit. Even if Fairley is back, the Lions will likely use free agency or a high pick to help replace one of the game's most disruptive inside defenders. The Lions are currently slotted at No. 23 overall, where the Texas big man could be one option. 

Brown isn't nearly as talented at Suh, but at 6'2" and 320 pounds, he could slide in next to Fairley (if re-signed) and create a nice one-two punch for the Lions defensive front. Norris noted "a number of people really like him." 

Brown was off the board (No. 14 to Miami) in Miller's mock, so Bleacher Report's draft expert sent Iowa's Carl Davis to Detroit. Brugler gave the Lions Florida State's Eddie Goldman after Brown went No. 19 to Cleveland. Only Jeremiah differed on position, as he mocked Florida State cornerback P.J. Williams to the Lions at No. 23 overall. 

Amazingly, most believe the Lions will go defense—even after finishing No. 2 in yards and No. 3 in points allowed in 2014. Detroit's draft plans will gain much-needed clarity once Suh's future is determined. 

Others: DT Carl Davis, Iowa (Miller); DT Eddie Goldman, Florida State (Brugler); CB P.J. Williams, Florida State (Jeremiah)

Green Bay Packers

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ILB Eric Kendricks, UCLA (Miller)

ILB Paul Dawson, TCU (Norris)

ILB Benardrick McKinney, Miss. State (Brugler) 

ILB Denzel Perryman, Miami (Jeremiah) 

The names vary, but the intention is clear: The Packers need to get better—much better, in fact—at inside linebacker. After a season in which Green Bay was forced to move its best edge defender to the inside, four of the five draft analysts gave the Packers a first-round answer at the position. 

Miller likes Kendricks—a smaller but highly athletic linebacker—at No. 30 overall. Norris sent the Packers Dawson, noting his "speed" and "aggression." Brugler favored McKinney, while Jeremiah leaned Perryman.

Pick your flavor. All four players would bring talent, speed and athleticism, three assets the club's current group of inside linebackers mostly lack. 

The lack of a consensus pick at the position might end up being a good thing for the Packers. Four names slotted at No. 30 means options. And there appears to be obvious first-round talent at Green Bay's biggest weakness.

The Packers could once again decide to use their first pick on an obvious defensive need, much like last spring when Green Bay took safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at No. 21 overall. The chances of this happening will grow exponentially if A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones become cap casualties. 

Others: DT Eddie Goldman, Florida State (Kiper)

Minnesota Vikings

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WR DeVante Parker, Louisville (Brugler, Jeremiah, Kiper)

Receiver might not be Minnesota's biggest roster need, but the first-round talent level at the position might just tempt the Vikings into giving promising young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater a shiny new toy. 

In fact, all five mock drafters slotted a receiver to the Vikings at No. 11, with three of the five going Parker—Bridgewater's collegiate teammate. 

The 6'3", 211-pound Parker caught 28 touchdowns over three seasons in Louisville with Bridgewater. Reunited in Minnesota, the two could provide many more scores for an offense currently lacking a bona fide No. 1 receiver. 

The Vikings had hoped former first-round pick Cordarrelle Patterson or $45 million man Greg Jennings would embrace the role. But by the end of 2014, it was journeyman Charles Johnson doing the majority of damage for the Vikings offense. 

Minnesota isn't giving up on Patterson just yet, and Jennings can still be effective as a team's No. 2 target. Johnson and Jarius Wright flashed in various roles last season. Adding Parker to the group would turn a question mark position into an area of strength, giving Bridgewater a full array of weapons to work with as he transitions into his second season. 

Even if Parker isn't the pick, Miller believes Alabama's Amari Cooper could be Minnesota's next big receiver, while Norris gave the Vikings West Virginia's Kevin White. The guess here is that Bridgewater and offensive coordinator Norv Turner would be fine with any of the three. 

Others: WR Amari Cooper, Alabama (Miller); WR Kevin White, West Virginia (Norris)

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2