Sports Ruckus NFL Draft Grades: AFC North
AFC North Draft Grades
By Jesse Peel Twitter: @jpsportsruckus
Baltimore Ravens
Draft Needs: DT, WR, CB, TE
From this day forward Ozzie Newsome should wear a shirt that says “I got this” and everytime someone walks into his office to ask him a question he should just point at his shirt. The Ravens went into this draft with 645 picks…ok, 10 picks…and not only did they draft with need in mind but also got value out of the later rounds. They lost their deep threat in Torrey Smith and Ozzie acquired a bigger, younger version of him in Breshad Perriman. Speed, size but at times does have some concentration drops. With that coaching staff he could turn out to be a quality player. Flacco loves passing to big TE so they nabbed Maxx Williams in the second round. Williams flahes shades of an earlier Ravens player in Todd Heap. Decent run blocker but has good hands. The Ravens lose Ngata and draft Carl Davis-big, tough and will demand double teams. I could go on and on but I’ve already developed carpel tunnel in this article alone. The bottom line is this: The Ravens not only have a game plan, they have an organizational vision. That’s how dynasties are built. BUY THAT MAN THE SHIRT!!
Draft Grade: A
Cincinnati Bengals
Draft Needs: OT, LB, WR, S
There’s a face that Andy Dalton makes whenever he gets hit that annoys me…and by the looks of the first few draft picks I’m convinced the Bengals organization is sick of it too. Their first pick was the 6’5” 306 pound monster in Cedric Ogbuehi. Athletic and strong but is also recovering from a knee injury. At pick 53 the Bengals draft Jake Fisher out of Oregon who is a mauler. The Bengals realize they could possibly lose 2 offensive linemen in Whitworth and Smith to free agency after this season so drafting for a possible future situation makes sense. TE Tyler Kroft is a blocker-that’s his specialty. He may pan out to be a decent 2nd or 3rd option depending on how much he develops as a pass catcher. LB Paul Dawson is my favorite pick for the Bengals. Fast, physical and (I hate this wording) he “makes plays”. He’s a very instinctive player who can blossom in this system. Josh Shaw was involved in the strangest thing I’ve heard of off the field (google it) but he’s a project. Derron Smith could actually be the one that pans out for them at safety in the future. Cincinnati actually had a pretty solid draft.
Draft Grade: B
Cleveland Browns
Draft Needs: Too Many to Mention
With a 7-9 record last season Browns fans almost felt like management had a plan to build this team into a winner….until they unveiled their “we want to look like Oregon State” uniforms. Oh boy. The plan seemed to be “we need everything so let’s just pick anything” but surprisingly it wasn’t a complete disaster. Their first pick was on the D line-Danny Shelton. Shelton hugged Goodell so hard that he might end up on the Commissioners Exempt list this year. Shelton is strong and is a high motor run stopper that will add toughness to a pretty talented defensive front. The Cameron Erving pick surprised me because center is the one spot where Cleveland is set. Maybe he moves to guard. Duke Johnson could definitely fight for a spot and playing time-I’m not sold on either running back currently on the roster. Ibraheim Campbell could end up playing safety when the Browns figure out that Whitner has no interest in playing coverage.
Draft Grade: C+
Pittsburgh Steelers
Draft Needs: LB, CB, DL, S
The Steelers staff needs to buy lottery tickets because the amount of luck that had to happen in order for Bud Dupree to fall to them is almost magical. Fast, good hand usage, and could be a serious chess piece for that Pittsburg defense with proper coaching. Golson and Grant are both ball hawks who can have an impact. Sammy Coates run a 4.43 and with that size he could be a lesser version of Terrell Owens…but the drops are a serious concern. The Steelers had to let go of a first ballot HOF in Troy Polamalu due to age and declining skill but they really didn’t focus on the safety spot in this draft. They did grab Gerod Holliman but he is SEVERELY allergic to tackling. The more I think about it, they could move Grant to safety if need be. Another solid draft for a great franchise.
Draft Grade: B
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