AFC North Draft Grades

Grading draft classes is always an exercise in futility.  Partially because you won’t know how good the players really are for at least three years, but also because most analysts never give what criteria they are using to evaluate the classes.  Are they grading them based solely on the overall haul of talent, or are they grading them on the value they got for the draft slots they were allotted?  Every team in the league is better after a draft weekend simply because they all added new talent to their rosters.  Here is an attempt to grade how each AFC North team fared in the draft based on two critical criteria:
1.    The quality of players they added to their roster
2.   The value teams got in regards to their draft slot and number of picks going in.

Cleveland Browns
1. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
1. Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
2. Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California
3. John Hughes, DT, Cincinnati
4. James Michael Johnson, LB, Nevada
4. Travis Benjamin, WR, Miami
5. Ryan Miller, OG, Colorado
6. Emmanuel Acho, ILB, Texas
6. Billy Winn, DL, Boise St
7. Trevin Wade, CB, Arizona
7. Brad Smelley, FB, Alabama

The Browns traded away three picks in the 4th, 5th, & 7th rounds to move up one spot and select a running back.  (Those picks became WR Jarius Wright, Safety Robert Blanton, and DE Scott Solomon.)  Even if Trent Richardson is Adrian Peterson or Walter Payton, it still is a waste of premium resources in the modern NFL to spend four pick including one in the top 5 overall on a back.  When is the last time an elite back propelled a team into the playoffs, let alone to the Super Bowl?  Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, and Maurice Jones Drew have never led a team to the post season (sans the Favre led Vikings)  The Browns attempted to trade up for potential franchise QB Robert Griffen failed, and they panicked to add the next best offensive player to an offense that managed just 13 points per game last season.  Had they added the package of picks they gave up for Richardson, they likely would have outbid the Redskins and landed their QB of the future.   The Browns front office panicked and reached for the 3rd highest profile player in the draft to appease the fan base.  

They later reached again to draft a 29 year old QB who has never played in a pro style offense.   If I was given the opportunity to make the Browns draft selections as a goof, I would have traded away 3 picks to move up 1 spot for a RB, and then drafted a 29 year old QB at pick 22.   The fact their front office actually made that happen is mind blowing!  Cleveland followed these picks up by passing on OT Mike Adams from right down the road at Ohio State in favor of RT Mitchell Schwartz who has knee and back issues.  They sunk even lower when they grabbed Cincinnati Bearcats DT John Hughes, who the Steelers looked at as a potential late round pick, in round 3.  Hughes wasn't rated amongst the top 500 prospects by some scouting services, and was thought to be a fringe draftable prospect by others.  Yet somehow the Browns saw fit to draft him in the 3rd round.   If I didn't hate this draft enough already, Holmgren and company found a way to draft another player I despised through the scouting process in Colorado OG Ryan Miller.   Miller is way too tall and gangly to play guard in the NFL.   The guy simply cannot bend or get leverage in the run game.   When he was tried at RT in the East/West Shirne game practices he was absolutely destroyed off the edge by mediocre speed rushers.   Where do the Browns plan on playing him?  There were a few redeeming picks late in the draft with versatile LB Emmanuel Acho, and Trent Richardson's collegiate lead blocker, Brad Smelley.  All in all, this draft is the perfect illustration of why the Browns remain the Browns and the Steelers remain the Steelers.  Cleveland entered this draft with a ton of picks including six premium ones in the first four rounds, but came out of it with a RB, a 29 year old QB, and not much else to get excited about. The Steelers sat back and let teams like Cleveland panic and reach in front of them, while all Pittsburgh did was sit back and draft the best player that fell to them.  All in all, the Browns are a better team because they added 11 new players to the mix.  However, they failed to land impact players at WR and badly reached for an over-aged Big 12 QB.  Weeden will need to make a big transition to the West Coast Offense, and he better be good this season or they will enter next year with a 30 year old question mark under center.   The Browns front office ran this draft as if hey were panicked and pressured, and it showed in their picks.
 

Draft Grade:  (Overall Talent:  C  / Value vs Slot: F)   Overall Grade = D

Cincinnati Bengals
1. Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
1. Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin
2. Devon Still, DT, Penn State
3. Mohamed Sanu,  WR, Rutgers
3. Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
4. Orson Charles, TE, Georgia
5. Shaun Prater, CB, Iowa
5. Marvin Jones, WR, Cal
5. George Iloka, FS, Boise St
6. Dan Herron, RB, Ohio State

The Bengals did well for themselves landing a physical corner and a road grading guard in round 1.  In addition they were able to pilfer a 3rd round pick from the Patriots by moving down and still landing the guard they coveted.  It may prove to be an error in the long run if Decastro is as good as advertised if Zeitler doesn't pan out. Landing Devon Still and Brandon Thompson added to an already deep and talented D-line rotation.  Both players were good values where they were selected.  WR choices Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones should really round out their WR corps next to AJ Green.  Orson Charles is a quality #2 TE.  All of those first 6 picks were projected to be 1st or early 2nd round picks at some point in the scouting process.  Prater and Iloka late in the draft really help to round out the Bengals needy secondary.  It is possible that all four of the Bengals fifth and sixth round picks could start a game for the team in their first few seasons with the team.  Adding that kind of talent to a playoff team later in the draft is quite an impressive haul.
 

Draft Grade:  (Overall Talent: A  / Value vs Slot: A)   Overall Grade = A
 

Pittsburgh Steelers
1. David Decastro, OG, Stanford
2. Mike Adams, LT, Ohio State
3. Sean Spence, LB,  Miami
4. Alameda Ta'amu, NT, Washington
5. Chris Rainey, RB, Florida
7. Tony Clemons, WR, Colorado
7. David Paulson, TE, Oregon
7. Terrence Frederick, CB, Texas A&M
7. Kelvin Beachum, OG, SMU

Simply unbelievable luck for the Steelers in the early rounds as elite players at positions of need fell to them on three occasions.  My personal 7th rated player in the entire draft class fell all the way to pick 24 thanks in part to some horrible reaches by poor GM's picking in front of Pittsburgh.  The Steelers wisely chose Decastro over Don’t'a Hightower even though some may have perceived ILB to be the bigger need.  Decastro was the cleaner and better overall prospect, and GM Kevin Colbert wisely made the right call by taking the elite guard over the very good inside linebacker.  Lightning struck twice when my 2nd ranked LT and 30th best overall player, Mike Adams, fell to pick 56 due to character concerns with his failed drug test at the combine.  In round 3 they added an ILB in Miami Hurricane, Sean Spence.   I thought highly of Spence in the scouting process as a WLB and had him ranked as a top 90 player, but I still question the fit for the Steelers 3-4 defense.  Spence is undersized and struggled a bit at the combine workouts, but he is a very heady and instinctive player who could thrive if the front 3 keeps blockers off of him.  I had a feeling Spence may have been a target when Mike Tomlin and Keith Butler were on hand at the Miami Pro Day to work out the linebackers, but the fit just didn't seem right.  The icing on the cake in this draft class was Alameda Ta'amu falling to the middle of round 4 where the Steelers were able to move up and grab him.   Ta'amu was my 45th rated player and #1 NT ahead of Dontari Poe and Josh Chapman.   Unlike Poe, Ta'amu successfully played 2 gap nose a fair amount at Washington.   Unlike Josh Chapman, Ta'amu has the ability to rush the passer and has no medical issues lingering over his head.  Giving up a 6th round pick was well worth it to select the successor to Casey Hampton.  Ta’amu has ability and measurables very similar to Vince Wilfork.  That's great value in the middle of round 4.  After filling the four biggest needs on the roster with their first four selections, the rest of the draft was gravy.  Chris Rainey is another explosive element to the offense and special teams units who can make big plays out of nothing.  Toney Clemons is a tall and fast WR that can compete for a job.  If Paulson, Frederick, or Beachum stick on the roster, it is just an added bonus.  If we are being honest, this draft comes down to how well the ‘Big 3’ players (Decastro, Adams, and Ta'amu) play.  If those three players end up as quality 10 year starters, then this draft is a homerun.  If any one of the three bust, then it is still a pretty good draft class.   The only thing preventing this from being an A+ draft is the fact that fine final 5 picks are unlikely to ever be regular starters for this team, and Sean Spence is likely destined to be a back up for most of his first contract with the team   He may be miscast in this defense.

Draft Grade:  (Overall Talent: B+ / Value vs Slot: A+)  Overall Grade = A

Baltimore Ravens
2. Courtney Upshaw , OLB, Alabama
2. Kelechi Osemele, OL, Iowa State
3. Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple
4. Gino Gradkowski, OL, Delaware
4. Christian Thompson, FS, South Carolina State
5. Asa Jackson, CB, Cal poly
6. Tommy Streeter, WR, Miami
7. Deangelo Tyson, DT, Georgia

The Ravens wisely traded back from round 1 and netted an additional 4th round pick for their efforts.  They were still able to land a player they would have taken in round 1 in Courtney Upshaw and added an extra player in the process.  Upshaw is the ideal replacement for Jarret Johnson as he is a fierce run defender and can also rush the passer a bit.  The Ravens really missed out on the better O-linemen that fell to round 2 and got stuck with the mammoth and agility challenged Kelechi Osemele and later the shrimpy former WVU washout Gino Gradkowski.   That is hardly a fair swap out for Matt Birk and Bryant Mckinnie who they are likely to part ways with after this season.  Osemele is best cast as a RT and will compete with Michael Oher at that position as well as being in the mix to start at LG.  Bernard Pierce is a quality power back that will compliment Ray Rice well, and Tommy Streeter is a big and fast WR that never really was able to put it all together in college.  His best football may be in front of him.  Asa Jackson is another nice find for them at CB and adds something as a kick returner as well.  Overall, the draft broke badly for Baltimore and they did the best they could in the slots they were in.  That said, the overall class of talent they landed was the weakest in the AFC North.

Draft Grades:  (Overall Talent B- / Value vs Slot C) Total Draft Grade = C+