Not a bad idea. You will find some differences, and then you can track down reasons for each difference.
That's correct. A lot of nonsense is written about translation by people who have never translated anything. In fact, "exact" translation is a myth. No translation ever captures 100% of the original. Different approaches to translation "lose" different things. Many translations use footnotes to help get around this problem.
That's why most churches expect their pastors to read at least Greek. That's also why comparing different translations is a good idea.
Having said that, though, the gap between the NLT and NIV is perhaps bigger than the gap between the NIV and ESV/KJV. The NLT is certainly bordering on being a paraphrase.
For example, look at Ephesians 3:14-19:
The ESV reads: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family{footnote: or "all fatherhood"; the Greek word patria is closely related to the word for Father in verse 14} in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
The KJV mistranslates the Greek wordplay with patria, and is a little harder to read: For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
The NLT improves readability by breaking up that monster sentence into smaller ones. It also makes what I think are some very poor translation choices (even paraphrasing at one point), and it explains in a footnote that most old manuscripts are missing a few words: When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father{footnote: some manuscripts read "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"}, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth{footnote: or "from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name"}. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
The NIV is perhaps the best readability/accuracy combination, giving a better alternative to "saints," and repeating some verbs to make clear some noun/verb relationships that exist in the Greek, but get lost in English: For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family{footnote: the Greek for "family" (patria) is derived from the Greek for "father" (pater)} in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
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