|
|
AFC North - Draft Report Card Bengals: B+ Round 1 (6) Andre Smith, OT, Alabama The Bengals needed help at OT, so they drafted a very good LT here. Character concerns aside, he may have been the best OT in the draft. Round 2 (38) Ray Maualuga, ILB, USC How can you not like this pick? I didn't see a single Mock Draft that had this kid dropping to Round 2. The Bengals may have gotten the steal of Round 2 here. Round 3 (70) Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech Someone had to take a chance on Johnson, so it might as well have been a team that really needed a pass-rushing DE. If he can play half as good as his talent level suggest he should, then the Bengals got one heck of a deal. If not, losing out on a third Rounder ain't the end of the world. Round 3 (98) Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri Even with Coffman coming off of an injury, this is a solid pick. Coffman isn't fast, but he's a reliable target with good hands. Round 4 (106) Jonathon Luigs, C, Arkansas Luigs played against some real good talent in the SEC. He should challenge for the starting spot on this squad sooner vs. later. Round 5 (142) Kevin Huber, P, Cincinnati This isn't a sexy pick, but Huber was the best Punter in the draft. Having a strong leg on your squad can really help out your Defense. Round 6 (179) Morgan Trent, CB, Michigan Trent is a gifted athlete that simply didn't play up to his ability. In order to stay on, he'll need to raise his level of play and reduce his mistakes. Round 6 (209) Bernard Scott, RB, Abilene Christian The Bengals have some depth at RB, but that depth could be upgraded. Scott will have a legitimate chance at making this squad as a back-up RB and Special Teams guy. Round 7 (215) Fui Vakapuna, RB, BYU See above. He's in the same boat as Scott. Round 7 (249) Clinton McDonald, DT, Memphis McDonald lacks ideal size, but he's a quick one-gap penetrator that recently impressed during workouts. Round 7 (252) Freddie Brown, WR, Utah A big WR that could provide some depth. From the talent side, I really like the Bengals' picks and would have rated them out with an "A" grade. But, their first four picks all come with some questions marks, so you have to take some points off for that. Smith had the whole combine thing, Maualuga can struggle in space, Michael Johnson is a freak, but his game tape has huge holes in it, and Coffman couldn't do any workouts due to an injury. I also think they should have gone after a legit WR. Ocho Cinco will be gone sooner vs. later, and there will be a huge hole there when he does. If their selections play to their potential, this team will ascend quite a bit. Browns: B+ Round 1 (21) Alex Mack, C, California I had Mack rated out as the best Center in the draft. Don't be surprised if he runs the pivot as a rookie. Round 2 (36) Brain Robiskie, WR, Ohio State Robiskie was my favorite WR in this draft. While he doesn't have blistering speed, the guy catches everything and really plays the game well. He'll contribute early and often. Round 2 (50) Mohamed Massaquoi, WR, Georgia This was a solid selection at WR as well. The Browns now have added two big, possession WRs that will create match up problems throughout the league. Round 2 (52) Davis Veikune, OLB/DE, Hawaii Veikune was one of the strongest players to lift at the combine. He played DE in college, but has the ability to drop into space and rush the passer from a 2-point stance. Round 4 (104) Kaluka Maiava, OLB, USC I really like the player, but I struggle to see how he'll fit into this 3-4 scheme as a 5'11 229 pounder. I could certainly see him as a Special Teams stand out. Round 6 (177) Don Carey, CB, Norfolk State For the value, this was one of the best Round 6 picks out there. Carey played against a lesser brand of competition in the regular season, but he shined during his All-star week of practices. Round 6 (191) Coye Francies CB, San Jose State Even though Francies didn't have the best timed workout, I was really surprised he fell this far down. On a team that needs more from its CBS, he could find a way on to the squad. Round 6 (195) James Davis, RB, Clemson From the pre-season to the post-season, I can't think of a player who saw his stock drop more than Davis' did. At any event, this is a solid RB that could see time after Lewis departs. I was very impressed with how the Browns traded down, compiled picks, and then used said picks throughout. They had some big needs entering the draft, and they did an excellent job of addressing them. As it stands, I think they shored up every noticeable gap they had. Their CB selections were solid, yet came cheap. Ravens: B+ Round 1 (23) Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss The Ravens trade up a few spot to get an OT that possibly has Top 15 talent. He could play as a swing OT, providing a lot of immediate depth. Round 2 (57) Paul Kruger, DE, Utah I, like many others, think that Kruger can develop into a nice DE. There's no telling how much longer Suggs will be around, so this is a solid selection. Round 3 (88) Lardarius Webb, CB, Nicholls State The Ravens needed to get more talent at CB, and they did so with Webb here. While I think he looked more like a 4th Rounder, this wasn't a bad pick. Round 5 (137) Jason Phillips, ILB, TCU I really like this pick. While Phillips is coming off of a combine injury, he's a hard-nosed ILB that brings a lot of experience and tenacity to the table. Round 5 (149) Davon Drew, TE, East Carolina Opinions vary on Drew. I personally like the kid, but think there were better options out there. He should become a nice compliment to Todd Heap, but will have to wait in line behind L.J. Smith. Round 6 (185) Cedric Peerman, RB, Virginia I love this pick. Peerman tested out as good if not better than any of the RBs at this year's combine. His game tape is also very strong. Even with McGahee and Rice on the squad, this was a quality pick. The Ravens, as per usual, head another strong draft. Outside of them selecting a few players at certain position vs. other available candidates, it's hard to find a lot of fault with their draft. With Mason another year older, a WR may have made some sense. But, the talent did start to run pretty dry, so they opted for other value at other positions. Steelers: B- Round 1 (32) Evander Hood, DT, Missouri This pick was a surprise to me. The Steelers run a 3-4 Defense, and Hood doesn't really project to plat at NT or DE for that matter. He's a quick, one gap kind of guy. Round 3 (79) Kraig Urbik, Wisconsin The Steelers did need depth across their O-Line, so Urbik is a justified pick. He's a solid OG that really paves a path for his RBs. Round 3 (84) Mike Wallace, WR, Mississippi The Steelers have a few good horses in the stable, but Wallace has as much of an upside as any of them. He's got great speed and could be a real compliment to the existing WR corps. Round 3 (96) Keenan Lewis, CB, Oregon State Along with needing more O-Line depth, CB was a concern as well. They lost McFadden to the Cardinals and Townsend turns 34 years old this year. Round 5 (168) Joe Burnett, CB, Central Florida See above. Burnett did not get much love from the talent evaluators out there, but he's a productive CB with loads of experience. Round 5 (169) Frank Summers, RB, UNLV Here's another pick that surprised me some. Summers is a strong RB that fits the Steelers' mold. However, this team already has Parker, Mendenhall and Moore. They most have viewed him as the BPA. Round 6 (205) Ra'Shon Harris, DT, Oregon Harris is a nice depth pick and worth the value here. I believe he fits the NT spot better than the aforementioned Ziggy Hood. Round 7 (226) A.Q. Shipley, C, Penn State I really like this pick, as I think the Steelers got a steal here. Shipley is an underrated talent that rarely gets pushed back. In time, I think he'll be a starter. Round 7 (241) David Johnson, TE, Arkansas State Johnson is a decent prospect to potentially come in and play some H-Back for the Steelers. This was a solid draft for the Steelers as a whole, as they added some guys that should be able to help them down the road. With O-Line and CB being the only real needs, they addressed them well. I think they could have gotten more value out of their Round 1 selection by selecting Darius Butler at CB or Ron Brace if they were looking at a NT. |