AFC North Draft Review

Baltimore Ravens

• Hayden Hurst (25^th, 1^st)   TE   South Carolina
• Lamar Jackson (32^nd, 1^st)   QB   Louisville
• Orlando Brown (83^rd, 3^rd)   OT   Oklahoma
• Mark Andrews (86^th, 3^rd)   TE   Oklahoma
• Anthony Averett (118^th, 4^th)   CB   Alabama
• Kenny Young (122^nd, 4^th)   LB   UCLA
• Jaleel Scott (132^nd, 4^th)   WR   New Mexico St.
• Jordan Lasley (162^nd, 5^th)   WR   UCLA
• Deshon Elliott (190^th, 6^th)   S   Texas
• Greg Senat (212^th, 6^th)   OT   Wagner
• Bradley Bozeman (215^th, 6^th)   C   Alabama
• Zach Sieler (238^th, 7^th)   DE   Ferris St.

Immediate Impact:  TE Hayden Hurst, OT Orlando Brown

The Ravens need playmakers on offense and while no one is going to confuse Hayden Hurst for Gronk he’s a major upgrade over what they have.  He’s the best all-around TE in the draft and he’ll give Joe Flacco (and eventually Lamar Jackson) a nice target in the middle of the field.  Brown doesn’t play pretty but it’s effective.  In Baltimore he’ll be their RT and as the old saying goes “it’s a $20 cab ride just to get around him”.  His combine performance was a mess but he’s an effective blocker and he’ll start early.

Best Value:  Brown

He has first round talent and terrible athleticism.  They stole a starting RT in round 3.

Sleeper:  C Bradley Bozeman

Bozeman has great size and lacks athleticism (there is a theme with the Ravens offensive line picks).  He started for Alabama and his competition for the starting C job is Matt Skura, when he beats him out no one should be shocked.

Overall Analysis

Ozzie Newsome is retiring after the season so this was his last draft.  He set the team up pretty well for the future by making a move up to get QB Lamar Jackson.  Joe Flacco has been average to below average every since his incredible playoff performance that led the Ravens to a Super Bowl title and him to a massive contract.  This is the last season before the Ravens can get out from under Flacco’s contract so Lamar Jackson gets a one-year apprenticeship and then this is his team.  The team’s TE group was terrible so they got Hurst and then Newsome doubled up with Mark Andrews.  Andrews is basically a jacked-up WR but that’s fine because the Ravens passing game is weak.  Andrews will be very valuable.  This draft brought potential starters in Brown, Hurst, Bozeman and eventually Jackson along with a role player like Andrews.  CB Anthony Averett is solid depth.  The team’s WR group isn’t great so Scott and Lasley have a chance if they can bring some playmaking.  OT Greg Senat was a basketball player and brings a nice developmental OT to bring along behind LT Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown.  LB Kenny Young, S Deshon Elliott and DE Zach Sieler will compete for backup spots and special teams.  This was a big draft class, they won’t all stick around.

Cincinnati Bengals

• Billy Price (21^st, 1^st)   C   Ohio St.
• Jessie Bates (54^th, 2^nd)   S   Wake Forest
• Sam Hubbard (77^th, 3^rd)   DE   Ohio St.
• Malik Jefferson (78^th, 3^rd)   LB   Texas
• Mark Walton (112^th, 4^th)   RB   Miami
• Davontae Harris (151^st, 5^th)   CB   Illinois St.
• Andrew Brown (158^th, 5^th)   DT   Virginia
• Darius Phillips (170^th, 5^th)   CB   Western Michigan
• Logan Woodside (249^th, 7^th)   QB   Toledo
• Rod Taylor (252^nd, 7^th)   OG   Mississippi
• Auden Tate (253^rd, 7^th)   WR   Florida St.

Immediate Impact:  C Billy Price, LB Malik Jefferson

The Bengals offensive line was a mess going into the offseason and Price will be an immediate starter at C.  He should stabilize the line once he returns from his pectoral injury which they expect to happen in time for training camp.  Jefferson has always been more hype than production but the Bengals LB corps leaves a lot to be desired.  They brought in Preston Brown to man the middle but Vontaze Burfict is suspended for the first four games and Nick Vigil is coming off an injury.  Jefferson will move up the depth chart quickly.

Best Value:  DE Sam Hubbard

Hubbard isn’t flashy but he plays hard and the team needs some youth at DE.  Hubbard will get playing time early even if it’s just as a pass rush specialist.  His hard work and attitude should rub off on others too.

Sleeper:  WR Auden Tate

He plays better than he works out and at 6’5 225 lbs. he’s got the physical stature to be a playmaker.  The Bengals rely far too much on AJ Green and Brandon LaFell is 31 years old.  John Ross can be a deep threat if he gets healthy but there is room on the depth chart if Tate can take advantage.

Overall Analysis

The Bengals got a starter in Price and potentially Jefferson.  S Jessie Bates brings depth and is likely the eventual replacement for Shawn Williams.  RB Mark Walton had some injury issues but he has skills to be useful in the NFL.  He is clearly positioned to replace Giovani Bernard as the complement to Joe Mixon whether it’s this season or next.  Harris and Phillips are two CB prospects that will battle it out to stick on a roster with three former 1^st rounders at the top (William Jackson, Dre Kirkpatrick, Darqueze Dennard).  I’m a little surprised that outside of Price the only other offensive lineman was a developmental 7^th round OG Rod Taylor.  QB Logan Woodside has some upside as a backup but he isn’t going to push Andy Dalton.

Cleveland Browns

• Baker Mayfield (1^st, 1^st)   QB   Oklahoma
• Denzel Ward (4^th, 1^st)   CB   Ohio St.
• Austin Corbett (33^rd, 2^nd)   OL   Nevada
• Nick Chubb (35^th, 2^nd)   RB   Georgia
• Chad Thomas (67^th, 3^rd)   DE   Miami
• Antonio Gallaway (105^th, 4^th)   WR   Florida
• Genard Avery (150^th, 5^th)   LB   Memphis
• Damion Ratley (175^th, 6^th)   WR   Texas A&M
• Simeon Thomas (188^th, 6^th)   DB   Louisiana-Lafayette

Immediate Impact:  CB Denzel Ward, RB Nick Chubb

I don’t agree with passing on Bradley Chubb and taking Ward but I understand it.  The Browns secondary is atrocious and Ward immediately becomes the #1 CB.  In a division where he has to face guys like AJ Green and now Michael Crabtree his lack of height might hurt him but he’s going to have to rise to the occasion.  I love Nick Chubb.  He’s a well-built, well-balanced RB who runs with power and the only knock on him is he has had knee injuries.  The team signed Carlos Hyde but I don’t think he can be counted on which means Chubb will get a chance to play.

Best Value:  Chubb

Drafting a starting RB in the second round is the right thing to do and while Chubb’s knees may not hold up long-term anyone counting on a RB for more than 4-5 years is crazy anyway.

Sleeper:  WR Antonio Callaway

To say this kid has off the field red flags is the understatement of the year.  His scouting report looks like a military cemetery on Memorial Day.  If he can figure out how not to be a complete screw up off the field he’s a fantastic talent on it.  He might actually be the WR the Browns have been hoping Corey Coleman would turn into.

Overall Analysis

I’m not a Baker Mayfield fan because I really wonder about his fit in the NFL.  He isn’t Drew Brees and he’s not Russell Wilson and if you’re going to succeed at QB at 6’0 tall you really need to be like one of those guys.  Hue Jackson would be wise to stick to his plan to start Tyrod Taylor all year long but I’m betting if he does he’ll be fired midseason and replaced by someone who will start Mayfield.  I already said I disagree with the Ward pick but he’ll be an immediate upgrade in the secondary.  The Austin Corbett pick is interesting because everyone seems to project him at OG but the team doesn’t need an OG they need a LT to replace Joe Thomas.  Corbett may not seem like a great choice but he’s just as good an option as Shon Coleman, he deserves a shot at the job.  Love Nick Chubb, he’ll be starting by week 3.  DE Chad Thomas was a very solid addition on the defensive line and he should make for a nice rotational player.  Gallaway is a lottery ticket, he could pay off huge or he’s completely worthless.  The last three guys are unlikely to make the team although DB Simeon Thomas is coming into the weakest unit on a team that didn’t win a game last year so all bets are off on that one.

Pittsburgh Steelers

• Terrell Edmunds (28^th, 1^st)   S   Virginia Tech
• James Washington (60^th, 2^nd)   WR   Oklahoma
• Mason Rudolph (76^th, 3^rd)   QB   Oklahoma St.
• Chukwuma Okorafor (92^nd, 3^rd)   OT   Western Michigan
• Marcus Allen (148^th, 5^th)   S   Penn St.
• Jaylen Samuels (165^th, 5^th)   RB/H-Back   North Carolina St.
• Joshua Frazier (246^th, 7^th)   DT   Alabama

Immediate Impact:  WR James Washington

This team is unlikely to have any rookies contribute in a major way this year but Washington has a chance to make some noise.  The Steelers traded away Martavis Bryant because he was becoming a headache.  Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster will handle the lion’s share of the receptions but the team still needs a legitimate deep threat like Bryant was.  That just so happens to be Washington’s specialty.  He plays faster than he runs and he tracks the deep ball as well as anyone, if you don’t believe me just ask his former college QB Mason Rudolph, he’ll vouch for him.

Best Value:  QB Mason Rudolph

He comes from a pass happy offense and maybe that turned some teams off but he has the skills to be an effective NFL starter.  Getting him in the 3^rd round is highway robbery.  I don’t know if he’ll be Big Ben’s eventual replacement but he could be and he should be an upgrade over Landry Jones as the backup.

Sleeper:  OT Chukwuma Okorafor

He’s raw but he has all the tools you need to be a starting OT in the league.  RT Marcus Gilbert is 30 and coming off of a concussion so developing Okorafor as quickly as possible seems like a good idea.  He could be a 10-year NFL starter.

Overall Analysis

S Terrell Edmunds is a nice story, he and his brother Tremaine were both first round draft picks, but it wasn’t a pressing need for the Steelers.  They signed Morgan Burnett and they have Sean Davis, they needed a LB more than a S.  Washington, Rudolph and Okorafor were really good midround draft picks.  All of them should become eventual contributors.  S Marcus Allen is limited skill-wise but he’s not a bad addition in the 5^th round.  Jaylen Samuels is either a really versatile player or a guy without a position.  He could be a RB, FB, TE, H-back, or he’s the water boy, we shall see if their new offensive coordinator can come up with creative ways to use him.  DT Joshua Frazier isn’t great but grabbing a 6’4 315 lbs. guy that could give you depth at NT isn’t a bad choice.