Most Important Position for Each NFC North Team to Focus on at NFL Combine

The 2015 NFL Scouting Combine is officially under way, and all four teams from the NFC North have representatives in Indianapolis to review medical exams, interview players and attend the highly publicized workouts. 

While no team is spending the week at Lucas Oil Stadium to see just one position, some groups will obviously take priority over others based on respective need, draft position and potential player availability. 

This idea applies for the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. 

The Bears are in the middle of a defensive transition and in need of building blocks. The Lions must get better along the offensive line. The Packers are in desperate need of a long-term solution at inside linebacker. And the Vikings have a plethora of talented receiving options to sort through. 

The combine represents an opportunity for all four teams to finalize evaluations on prospects at positions of need before both free agency and the draft. 

Here is a closer look at each team's top positional priority in Indianapolis this week.

Chicago Bears: Edge-Rusher

As expected, new head coach John Fox has committed to Chicago playing a 3-4 defense in 2015, per Adam Hoge of 720 WGN. There is clearly some internal belief from Fox, along with new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, that the Bears have some pieces in place to handle a transition to the three-man front. 

Time will tell. Arguably no role is more important to a 3-4 than outside linebacker, a position asked to hold the edge against the run and provide the defense's primary pass-rushing production. And Chicago's holdovers from 2014 aren't a great group. 

Former 4-3 defensive ends Jared Allen and Willie Young will get opportunities to play the edge. Collegiate 3-4 outside linebacker Shea McClellin is another option. Former undrafted free agent Christian Jones might be a strong fit. But the Bears still can't risk going into next season without securing a young difference-maker at outside linebacker. 

Chicago needs a player to build the front seven around. A nose tackle is one option, but finding an impressive edge player makes more sense at No. 7 overall. The 2015 class is strong on potential 3-4 outsider linebackers, leaving the combine as an important step in finishing Chicago's board. This is a pick the Bears can't miss on. 

Top players: Randy Gregory, Nebraska; Dante Fowler, Florida; Shane Ray, Missouri; Alvin Dupree, Kentucky; Vic Beasley, Clemson 

Detroit Lions: Offensive Line

Much of what the Lions attempted to accomplish on offense last season came under fire. The play-calling of new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was criticized. Quarterback Matthew Stafford struggled with consistency. The running game was mostly a non-factor. 

All three issues have roots in one position group: the offensive line. 

A year after taking great strides up front, the Lions line regressed in 2014, allowing Stafford to be sacked 45 times (fourth most in NFL) and paving the way to a rushing average of just 3.6 yards (29th). As a result, Detroit scored just 20.1 points per game, with just three games over 24 points. 

Again, the problems up front had ripple effects. Play-calling often becomes limited without trust in the offensive line. Quarterback play can fluctuate greatly based on protection. Throw in a lacking running game, and it's really no wonder the Lions struggled on offense in 2014.

Detroit's offseason remains focused on the defensive line, with Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley less than a month away from unrestricted free agency. It's certainly possible that by April's draft, the Lions will need to address both lines. But until the futures of Suh and Fairley are settled, the Lions must treat the offensive line as the team's priority position at the combine. 

Top players: Brandon Scherff, Iowa; T.J. Clemmings, Pitt; Andrus Peat, Stanford; La'el Collins, LSU; Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M

Green Bay Packers: Inside Linebacker

Here's how bad things are for the Packers at inside linebacker following the 2014 season: After first asking Clay Matthews—the team's best edge player—to move inside midway through the year, Green Bay may now make cap casualties of A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones, who both started for the Packers Week 1, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tyler Dunne. And Jamari Lattimore, who has made nine starts over the last two seasons, is scheduled to be a free agent. 

Sam Barrington returns as a potential starter in 2015, but the need for a long-term solution at inside linebacker is actually greater in Green Bay this spring than the last. 

In fact, inside linebacker actually feels much like the Packers' safety position ahead of the 2014 draft. Green Bay had avoided the position the year prior and paid the price, as M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian failed miserably as starters. General manager Ted Thompson finally invested in the position the next May, selecting Alabama's Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round. 

The Packers did not address inside linebacker in the 2014 draft; a year later, the need is so great that Thompson might need to use another first-round pick to fix the position. 

The incoming class at inside linebacker is somewhat muddled at the top, with four players in consideration for the position's best player. The combine could be a useful tool to help sort out Green Bay's options at No. 30. 

Top players: Eric Kendricks, UCLA; Paul Dawson, TCU; Benardrick McKinney, Miss. St.; Denzel Perryman, Miami (Fl.)

Minnesota Vikings: Receiver

Look back at the chaotic elements placed in his way, and it's almost hard to believe rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was as efficient and effective as he was in 2014, especially late in the season. 

Adrian Peterson played just one game. Left tackle Matt Kalil regressed for a second straight year, helping set the table for a disastrous season protecting the quarterback from the offensive line. Receiver Cordarrelle Patterson disappointed in his sophomore season, allowing Charles Johnson—a signee off the Browns practice squad—to become the team's most productive receiver late. Matt Asiata, a fullback masquerading as a running back, led the offense in rushing. 

Yet Bridgewater kept chugging along, eventually finishing his final four games with a passer rating just under 100.0. 

The Vikings can now help accelerate his development with a legitimate No. 1 receiver. 

Minnesota isn't short on receivers: Johnson is promising, Greg Jennings has a long track record of production, Jarius Wright can create explosive plays, and Patterson will be given an opportunity to rebound in his third year. But for now, the Vikings have nothing more than a collection of No. 2 and 3 receivers. 

Luckily, this draft class and the Vikings' placement at No. 11 overall should allow Minnesota to find the finishing piece at receiver. 

The combine is an ideal setting to view movement skills and receiving ability up close, which should allow the Vikings to identify a receiver or two worth taking in the first round. 

Top players: Kevin White, West Virginia; Amari Cooper, Alabama; DeVante Parker, Louisville; Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2