The 2020 NFL Draft, which was unlike anything we had ever seen before, is now officially in the books, which means that every team in the league now knows what they have to work with this coming season. Not every player drafted is going to make it, but there will be a few later round picks who excel and end up in the 53-man roster of their respective teams. We won’t really know how things will pan out until the teams start playing, but we can look at what teams have done in the offseason to get an idea of how each of the divisions might play out. We are going to get the ball rolling by taking a look at the NFC North, which includes the current odds to win the division.
NFC North Divisional Odds After 2020 Draft
Green Bay Packers
- NFC North Divisional Odds: +145
The Packers look to be the obvious favorite here after winning 13 games last season and going all the way to the NFC Championship Game. That said, this offseason has not been without it’s bumps, with the Packers trading up to land QB Jordan Love in the draft. While the Packers are saying that Aaron Rodgers is still their man for the foreseeable future, that seems a little harder to believe given that move. It was a bit of a dodgy draft all round for Green Bay, but they still have the core group of players from last season in place, so they are definitely a good bet to win the division.
Minnesota Vikings
- NFC North Divisional Odds: +165
The Vikings finished last season with a 10-6 record and a spot in the Wild Card, although they did not go far in the playoffs. By extending the contract of Kirk Cousins, the Vikings made it clear that they believe their window of opportunity to still be open. They did have some losses on free agency, most notably WR Stefon Diggs, but they had a slew of picks in the draft, which they used to fill the most gaping holes on the team. Given how the Packers offseason has gone, I would be willing to take a shot on the Vikings.
Chicago Bears
- NFC North Divisional Odds: +400
The Bears were rather heavily fancied to win the NFL North last season, but a disappointing season saw them close things out with an 8-8 record. While certainly not solely responsible for the poor season, it was QB Mitch Trubisky who took most of the flak. The Bears seem to agree with that assessment, at least to a certain extent, as they went out and picked up Nick Foles on free agency. In the draft, the Bears made out quite well and have a very good weapon in TE Cole Kmet. If they can sort things out at QB, the Bears could hang in with the leaders this season.
Detroit Lions
- NFC North Divisional Odds: +750
The Lions are now in a bit of a rebuilding phase and have some work to do to improve on the 3-12-1 record from last season. They got some offensive line help via the draft, as well as a very good CB with their first pick, but it is being able to land D’Andre Swift with their first pick in the second round that may go down as one of the steals of the draft. It’s not realistic that they will be competing to win the division this season, so I would not be betting on them.
