NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Vikings

Bears

Bears S Eddie Jackson feels that last season was “one of my worst” in his career and wants to prevent more deep passes in 2022. 

“Yeah, it wasn’t the best at all,” Jackson said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I think that’s probably one of my worst seasons. I gave up too many deep balls. Just trying to eliminate that. The little things with your eyes, breaking on the ball, attention to details. Little things, little fixes that you could make.”

Bears HC Matt Eberflus had high praise for Jackson’s involvement during their voluntary minicamp. 

“I can see it in [Jackson’s] attitude and his demeanor,” Eberflus said. “I could see it in his eyes when I talk to him — that he is energized and he sees it as a fresh start for him. I can see it in his practice, too, just the way he’s carrying himself. He’s been great in the meetings, and he’s been great on the practice field.”

Jackson pointed out that Eberflus’ defensive system is “a lot simpler” and allows players to focus on “what’s in front of you.”

“It’s probably a lot simpler,” said Jackson. “It’s not too much, ‘Eyes here, eyes there.’ You just see what’s in front of you and play. . . . Just seeing what’s breaking in front of your eyes, not in 1,000 places.”

Lions

Things remain uncertain with the draft and Lions GM Brad Holmes mentioned that they’re confident in their process in terms of narrowing down the top players in this year’s draft class. 

“Well, anything can happen at any day, I will say that,” Holmes said. via LionsWire.com. “But it’s not just narrowing it down to your top two. You better have your top five. You better have your top 10 in place because you just don’t know what’s going to happen each day. We do have it narrowed down, and we feel confident where we’re at with how we have it pared down. We’ll just let the process unfold.”

Holmes added that they’re looking for a “game-changer” with the No. 2 overall pick. 

“Well, I’ll keep it consistent. I’ve been saying all along that we’re looking for a game-changer at that pick. Really at any picks, and I said all positions. So, if that position is a quarterback, then it’s a quarterback. Just because often, it’s been stated that, well, picking up there, it’s either going to be a quarterback or a pass rusher or a tackle and all that type of stuff. But look, I said from day one, give me a game-changer at any position, and there are multiple positions where we do see that potential game-changers could be there in the future.”

• San Jose State TE Derrick Deese Jr. has had pre-draft visits with the Cardinals, Falcons, and the Lions. (Eric Branch)

Vikings

• Chris Tomasson reports that the Vikings could address the center position during the draft, as they are not expected to pick up the $13.2 million fifth-year option on C Garrett Bradbury.
• Tomasson also mentions that the Vikings could use a wide receiver or a tight end despite focusing on defense positions such as pass-rusher and cornerback in preparation for the draft.