04-04-2019, 05:18 PM
Minnesota Vikings: Kirk Cousins
- Adam Bettcher/Getty ImagesFrom a statistical perspective, Kirk Cousins' first year in Minnesota wasn't that bad. He tallied almost 4,300 yards, threw three times as many touchdown passes as interceptions and posted a 99.7 passer rating.
However, the Vikings didn't give Cousins a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million contract to be "not bad." They're paying him that much to lead them to the Super Bowl.
At 8-7-1, the Vikings not only didn't make the Super Bowl—they missed the playoffs entirely. That reinforced the notion that Cousins is a stat-padder who will post numbers but can't win games when it counts.
If the Vikings struggle again in 2019, Cousins will shoulder much of the blame.
To date, he's shown nothing to indicate he can handle bearing that load.
Detroit Lions: Off-Ball Linebacker
- Rick Osentoski/Associated PressThe Lions already made a massive investment on defense in free agency, signing edge-rusher Trey Flowers to a five-year, $90 million contract.
Flowers should help bolster a Detroit pass rush that can use the help, but he won't fix all that ails Matt Patricia's defense.
Detroit's off-ball linebackers are...uninspiring. Jarrad Davis has shown the occasional flash of talent but an equal number of lapses in coverage. Christian Jones and Devon Kennard are veteran journeymen, not difference-makers.
The Lions don't necessarily have to spend the eighth overall pick on a linebacker. They may if LSU linebacker Devin White slips, but if they spend that pick on a defensive player, it'll likely be a pass-rusher.
But at some point over the draft's first two days, Detroit would be wise to add an off-ball linebacker.
Green Bay Packers: Wide Receiver
- Morry Gash/Associated PressThe Green Bay Packers have entered a new era, at least in terms of free agency. Former general manager Ted Thompson's thriftiness has given way to the free-spending ways of Brian Gutekunst, who doled out big contracts to edge-rushers Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith last month.
While the Packers hope to have shored up the edge, their wide receivers other than Davante Adams are a whole lot of "maybe."
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, J'Mon Moore, Equanimeous St. Brown and Geronimo Allison have had their moments here and there, but they're all inconsistent. With Randall Cobb gone, Green Bay's only other proven passing-game weapon is tight end Jimmy Graham.
If the Packers don't address that fairly early in the draft, opposing teams will double-cover Adams approximately 114 percent of the time.
Chicago Bears: Kicker
- Seth Wenig/Associated PressIt seems almost mean to pile on the Bears' kicking game. But we can't pick on poor Cody Parkey anymore.
The Bears showed the journeyman kicker (and zen master of hitting the uprights) the door on March 13.
But that doesn't solve Chicago's kicking woes.
It might have made things worse.
The Bears (a team with serious postseason aspirations) now have two kickers on the roster. Chris Blewitt's next NFL field-goal attempt will be his first. His success rate in college was south of 70 percent.
Redford Jones, like Blewitt, has never attempted a kick that mattered at the professional level. A three-year starter at Tulsa, Jones didn't hit the 75 percent mark with his field-goal attempts either. He also missed three extra-point tries.
Those are the kind of numbers that will make you miss the 76.7 percent success rate Parkey had with the Bears in 2018.
