The NFC North should be expected to be one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL heading into the 2025 season, to nobody's surprise. This is a division that had three teams make the postseason in 2024, and many people feel like the Chicago Bears could be a sleeper this year after missing out.
As always, we're expecting the unexpected at this time of year. The obvious impact from the 2025 rookie class is going to be from the highest draft picks, but which rookies on each NFC North team could end up being surprise impact players?
Let's take a look at one player from each team in the division.
Surprise rookies for every NFC North team heading into 2025
Green Bay Packers: Barryn Sorrell, EDGE
Yes, he's hurt right now, but pass rusher Barryn Sorrell looks like he might be a nice surprise as a Day 3 pick for the Packers. The former Texas Longhorns star has turned in a really nice training camp and preseason so far, and if it weren't for getting his knee rolled up on, he'd probably be in line for significant snaps starting in Week 1.
It might be a bit of delayed gratification, but Sorrell is showing off the ability to rush the quarterback with a variety of moves, and he has outstanding athletic traits. The Packers needed some young guys to step up off the edge, and when Sorrell is healthy, he might be a key factor for them.
Chicago Bears: Kyle Monangai, Running Back
It wasn't all that long ago that Rutgers produced a running back named Isiah Pacheco who wound up being one of the biggest surprise rookies in the NFL as a late-round pick. The same might very well be true of Chicago Bears 7th-round pick Kyle Monangai.
Monangai isn't going to sneak up on any Bears fans, as they've been singing his praises (loudly) almost all offseason. But seeing him in preseason action has only been more confirmation that the hype was justified. Monangai feels like he could be a significant steal for Ben Johnson in his first year as Bears head coach.
Minnesota Vikings: Zemaiah Vaughn, Cornerback
You can never count out a fun undrafted free agent story in the NFL, and the Minnesota Vikings have had their share of those through the years. Of course, some of the more notable ones recently would include guys like Adam Thielen and Ivan Pace Jr., but Zemaiah Vaughn -- an undrafted steal out of Utah -- has been extremely impressive this offseason.
Vaughn has a great situation in front of him on this Vikings depth chart, which is already one of the weakest in the NFL at the cornerback position. It wouldn't be shocking to see him make the 53-man roster at this point, but maybe even get on the field and crack the rotation.
Detroit Lions: Isaac TeSlaa, Wide Receiver
This year's rookie class was a mixed bag at the wide receiver position. Typically, we see a lot more high-end talent on a year-to-year basis, but this was not a very top-heavy class at receiver. That could end up looking like more of a scouting mistake than anything else, because a number of Day 2 players are standing out around the league.
One of them is Lions rookie Isaac TeSlaa, who is joining a loaded offense in Detroit and already carving out a role for himself.
TeSlaa scored a 9.93 on the RAS scale showing off his elite athletic traits, and he's put them on display in the preseason.