2021 NFC North Offensive Position Rankings
With week one now only days away, it feels like as good a time as any to do one last breakdown of the NFC North before all predictions are thrown out the window. Of course, I’m not the first one to think about ranking different position groups. However, with the usual power rankings making the rounds (keep an eye out for PurplePTSD’s own list on Tuesday), I figured it would be fun to do something a little different. So, without further ado, I present to you the NFC North offensive position rankings heading into the 2021 season. Make sure to watch for the defensive rankings later this week too!
Quarterback
- Green Bay
- Minnesota
- Chicago
- Detroit
The top position is pretty clear in this instance. The reigning MVP commonly referred to as Voldemort on this site, Aaron Rodgers, is of course going to take the top spot. It likely won’t change until he leaves Green Bay either, but luckily for the rest of the NFC North, that may happen sooner than later.
The bottom three are less clear cut, and it’s possible that they change at some point during this season. However, Justin Fields still hasn’t taken a regular season snap yet. I expect him to play well in Chicago, and he may even threaten Trevor Lawrence for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. That is, if Matt Nagy isn’t still committed to Andy “Red Rifle” Dalton. Because of the uncertainty as to who will actually be under center in the Windy City, and until Fields gets at least a few months of consistently great football under his belt, I can’t put Chicago above Minnesota.
Cousins may have had a very weak start to the 2020 season, but he finished the year strong. Like it or not, he is also one of the best QBs in the league at getting the ball in the end zone. He will likely need another strong campaign to hold Fields, but he’s more than capable.
Finally, Jared Goff brings up the rear. Goff is a fine quarterback, but he also brings the baggage of injury concerns and a few more interceptions than you’d like. This year is different for him too as he’s no longer in Sean McVay’s system. With an unproven offense and fewer dynamic targets to throw to, I’d expect Goff to struggle in 2021.
Running Back
- Minnesota
- Green Bay
- Chicago
- Detroit
Minnesota not only has the best starter in Dalvin Cook, but their depth at running back is not too shabby. Alexander Mattison might have taken some criticism after a goal line run in Seattle that essentially cost the Vikings a win, but he stepped up during his two starts. Once Kene Nwangwu returns from injury, he will become a very intriguing third option in the backfield.
Green Bay has a star in a similar stratosphere as Cook, but Jones took a small step back in 2020. However, their depth might actually be the best in the division with A.J. Dillon and rookie Kylin Hill. Dillon showed some flashes of greatness in his rookie season, including a 120-yard performance in week 16 against Tennessee. Now, the Green Bay RB room has the potential to be a three-headed monster after Hill turned heads during training camp and preseason.
Once again, Chicago and Detroit pretty easily find themselves a step below the other two. David Montgomery is a solid starter when healthy, but Chicago’s depth is reliant upon the health of Tarik Cohen. Cohen is also much better served in the passing game than as an actual runner. That role will go to Damien Williams, who opted out of the 2020 season. Last we saw him, he rushed for over 100 yards in Super Bowl LIV, but I have doubts about whether or not he can find that same success in Chicago. Meanwhile in Detroit, the one proven option there is D’Andre Swift, and then the Lions are relying on Jamaal Williams and Jermar Jefferson.
Wide Receiver
- Minnesota
- Chicago
- Green Bay
- Detroit
Minnesota is the cream of the crop once again as their duo of Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson turned heads last season. With additions of Dede Westbrook and rookie Ihmir Smith-Marsette as well as an improved (thus far) K.J. Osborne, the depth isn’t bad either.
The surprise here might be putting Chicago ahead of Green Bay. After all, the Packers still have Davante Adams, arguably the top receiver in the NFL. However, if you look past Adams, the room gets thin pretty quickly. Marquez Valdez-Scantling is the “home run hitter”, but he has struggled with drops throughout his career. Sure, the Packers brought back Randall Cobb and drafted Amari Rodgers, but I need to see it to believe it. Of course, Aaron Rodgers might just make them look good because he’s Aaron freakin Rodgers.
That said, I really like this group of players in Chicago. None of them are up to the standard that Adams has set in Green Bay, but the trio of Allen Robinson, Marquise Goodwin, and Darnell Mooney could prove to be a lot for opposing defenses to handle. Especially if you throw in the threat of Justin Fields running the ball, opponents’ hands will be full.
For the third time, Detroit brings up the rear in the division. Quintet Cepheus is the only returner to the team, who caught 20 passes in his rookie campaign. The players Detroit brought in aren’t very inspiring, either. The most intriguing is probably fourth round pick, Amon-Ra St. Brown, but outside of that, this unit will struggle in 2021.
Tight End
- Detroit
- Green Bay
- Chicago
- Minnesota
Now we get to put the spotlight on Detroit. Despite officially having just two tight ends on the roster, those two are extremely good at what they do. T.J. Hockenson is one of the best tight ends in football and put up marvelous production in his second season. Additionally, Darren Fells is a veteran presence and excels as a blocker. He’s also caught 11 TDs over the past two seasons.
Of course, Green Bay having Robert Tongan means they aren’t far behind Detroit, but neither Mercedes Lewis nor Jace Sternberger light a fire under me. Honestly, Chicago isn’t too far behind Green Bay. Jimmy Graham should continue putting up production in the passing game, and Cole Kmet’s expectations for 2021 should remind Vikings fans of what their expectations were of Irv Smith Jr. Chicago also signed Jesse James this summer, and he should provide a stable blocking presence at the position.
Finally, Minnesota is in the cellar. Have faith though, Vikings fans. There is a good chance that they go up this list before the end of the season. Smith’s injury is a major setback, but Minnesota quickly found a band-aid for the problem in Chris Herndon. He should have a good year now that he is out of New York, and Tyler Conklin may have the breakout season we were imagining from Smith. For now though, the group remains largely unproven, thus their position at the bottom.
Offensive Line
- Detroit
- Green Bay
- Minnesota
- Chicago
When Dan Campbell said the Lions would be biting kneecaps, he met it. If nothing else, Detroit is ready to own the trenches in their games. Seventh overall pick Penei Sewell will have a big impact in this ranking, but he’s not all. There’s a reason the Lions are having him play at right tackle instead of his usual left, and that is because Taylor Decker is really good at his job. He was arguably one of the best in the game last year, and if nothing else, the Lions will have no problems keeping Goff upright.
The rest of the division is pretty shaky right now across the o-line. Green Bay has lost David Bahktiari for at least the first six weeks of the season after placing him on the PUP list. This has forced Elgton Jenkins to move from guard to left tackle; something he has done on occasion, but never for the 6+ weeks that faces him now. Green Bay also lost center Corey Linley to the Chargers and are replacing him with rookie Josh Myers.
Assuming Christian Darrisaw returns for either week two or three, I’d probably move Minnesota above Green Bay. However, for now Rashod Hill looks like the starter at left tackle. The Vikings also have a new right guard in Oli Udoh; a 2019 sixth-round pick that quickly became the training camp darling. He earned the starting spot after rookie Wyatt Davis missed chunks of training camp with injuries. Of course, it’s very hard to say there’s anywhere to go other than up after watching Dakota Dozier in 2020.
Bringing up the rear for the first time is Chicago. This offensive line terrifies me and should terrify any Bears fans that watched what happened to Joe Burrow last season. Throughout the preseason, they struggled to keep defenses out of the pocket, and I don’t expect much to change once games matter.
After rookie LT Jenkins had to undergo surgery, the Bears are now relying on 39-year-old Jason Peters as their starter. James Daniels also returns from a torn pectoral muscle, and current RT, Germain Ifedi, looked absolutely dreadful in the preseason finale. Hopefully the Bears QBs got their conditioning in because they might be running around a lot this year.