My favorite moment as author of this column was when, a few years ago, a Lions podcast found my all nfc north team and made an entire episode about how much they hated my picks. Sadly, the Lions actually have good players now and will be well-represented. Will the Packers or Vikings have more participants? Will the Bears have more than Jaylon Johnson?  

Jared Goff

As much as it pains me, I think you have to go with Goff here. Love had higher highs and Darnold had a better PFF grade but Goff was clearly the best and most consistent of the three and Caleb Williams was the worst in the division this season. Goff finished the season with 72.4% completion percentage, 4,629 yards and a 37/12 TD/Int ratio, with five of those interceptions coming in one insane game. 20 years ago those would be the numbers of the runaway MVP.

Josh Jacobs

Jahmyr Gibbs

Jacobs and Gibbs both had great seasons. Gibbs finished with more yards, thanks to a late-season burst after David Montgomery got hurt, but I would say Jacobs was more impactful to his offense. Much of Gibbs' production came from 20+ (13 times) or even 40+ (3 times) yard runs that were probably partially from his own talent and speed partially from the Lions' offensive design. Jacobs had more broken tackles than anyone in football and gained his yards but squeaking out every possible inch and moving the chains. He made the Packers' offense inevitable. 

Justin Jefferson

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Justin Jefferson is still, at least, the second-best receiver in the NFL and, I think, far and away the best receiver in the division. He had over 1,500 yards and 10 TDs this season. The Sun God is the second best,and also eclipsed the thousand-yard mark with more than 1,200. If I had to pick a third receiver it would probably be a toss-up between DJ Moore and Jordan Addison but I will say, Christian Watson with a full season of chemistry and targets from Jordan Love would be pushing to be that third guy in the division. 

Sam LaPorta

Tucker Kraft

This one is probably the closest in the division, between LaPorta and Kraft. Both probably could have had much better years statistically if their respective play-callers hadn't forgotten they existed for weeks on end. Their stats are shockingly close. They have the same number of touchdowns. LaPorta had 19 more yards, but Kraft had more yards per catch and more YAC. They both had around the same run block grade. I think it's a toss-up between the two. 

Zach Tom

Peneii Sewell

Kevin Zeitler

Elgton Jenkins

Frank Ragnow

I'm cheating here by picking Tom and Sewell but both could probably play left tackle. Sewell arguably should. Christian Darrisaw is on the same level but Tom and Sewell were just enough better. 

Zeitler was as good as he was (third-best guard per PFF) just to spite me for how much I made fun of his age last off-season. I should've known the former Badger had a few more good years. Jenkins was the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL and Ragnow has a case as the best center in the NFL period. 

Aidan Hutchinson

Alim McNeil

Gervon Dexter

Jonathan Greenard/Andrew van Winkel

In that article a few years ago I ranked Rahsan Gary ahead of Aidan Hutchinson. What a joke that would be to do now. Hutchinson might be the best pass rusher in the NFC (until the Packers trade for Myles Garrett🤞) and is definitely the best in the North. 

Alim McNeil and Gervon Dexter were both defensive tackles I begged the Packers to take. Instead, we're doing praise pieces for Devonte Wyatt's five-sack season. McNeil was billed as a true nose coming out but is actually a better pass rusher today. Dexter isn't amazing or anything but there's not a lot of interior d-line talent to pick from. 

Greenard and van Winkel were the Vikings two free agent pick-ups for the line (spare me with the van Winkel is a linebacker stuff, we're talking about edges here). Greenard was the better pure pass rusher and finished the season with 12 sacks and the 14th-best PFF pass-rush grade but van Winkel was maybe the more impactful player on the Vikings' defense thanks to his interceptions and fumble recoveries and general ability to both play off-ball and somehow rush the passer at like 230 pounds. 

Edgerrin Cooper

Jack Campbell

Maybe if I was a Lions fan or stinky Vikings fan I would say Cooper didn't play enough. But I'm not so f*** it. Cooper was the best linebacker in the North this year and now that we've traded the ability to pick number 1 receivers in the second round every other year for the ability to have one good linebacker every twenty years he'll stay the best linebacker in the North. 

Like Zeitler before him, Campbell was good this year just to spite me and all the time I've spent making fun of the Lions for taking him in the first round. Come to think of it, you can probably put Jahmyr Gibbs on that list. How do you make fun of the Lions for taking him when the Packers took their fifth-best edge with the next pick in the first round? Who the hell cares about position value if the guy you picked in the valuable position sucks?  

Jaylon Johnson

Carlton Davis III

Byron Murphy Jr.

After Jaire Alexander turned into NFL Jimmy Butler, (Im just kidding here, I'm actually still a Jaire believer and can't wait to have him in this spot a year from now, as a Packer) Jaylon Johnson was the only alpha dog corner in the division. Carlton Davis III is one of the best grabbers in the league and fit perfectly in Aaron Glenn's scheme. If he comes to Green Bay this off-season I will immediately believe that he never grabs. Byron Murphy exceeded the free agency contract he got from the Vikings this year.

Xavier McKinney

Brian Branch

Let's get controversial! Remember that time that Kerby Joseph led fan voting for the pro-bowl but because he tries to injure people constantly he didn't get enough votes from the coaches and players to even make the roster? I've always said that you gotta listen to what the coaches and players say.

I'm not going to bother with special teams because who cares?    

Final count:

Packers: 6

Vikings: 4

Bears: 2