NFL Draft: Winners And Losers - Full Recap

AFC North

The AFC North is in the middle of a 'changing of the guard' or so it seems. The Steelers and Ravens lost a lot of players, in part because of the new CBA that set a cap on spending. This was put in place to do just what we are seeing in the AFC North, it is evening up the teams. Small market teams also have to spend a minimum amount. It is all in an effort to make the NFL more competitive. The three day event broke down like this. The Steelers lost James Harrison to the Bengals, the Ravens have lost Ray Lewis, Dannell Ellerbe, Ed Reed, Paul Kruger, Anquan Boldin and the entire team in order to pay for your Average Joe Flacco. He put up Andy Dalton numbers and is in the top two for highest paid players ever. I guess a playoff record matters, you listening Red Rifle? The Bengals added Harrison, re-signed many of their players and are looking to build on a team that has made playoffs 3 out of 4 years. Let that stat simmer for a second. Then you have the Browns, not the most solid team last year. But, they did show signs of greatness. The drafting of an aged QB still bothers me, but, whatever. Trent Richardson can be a star and to help with their already decent defense they brought in the Ravens Paul Kruger. All these teams appear to be pretty even. A theme that should carry out throughout the league within a few years. Steelers picks- RD 1 Jarvis Jones(OLB), RD 2 Le'veon Bell (RB), RD 3 Markus Wheaton (WR), RD 4 Shamarko Thomas (S), RD 4 Landry Jones (QB), RD 5 Terry Hawthorne (CB), RD 6 Justin Brown (WR), RD 6 Vince Williams (ILB), RD 7 Nicolas Williams (DT) Steelers-Jarvis Jones should replace James Harrison nicely, he is a big,strong, and dominating linebacker. Le'Veon Bell could be the running back that Mendenhall was supposed to be. If they keep him healthy, he could be a typical AFC North back. Markus Wheaton was brought in as Mike Wallaces' successor. He lacks in size, only 5'11" but is very quick. He was a track star in high school, the speed is there. The Steelers then when out and got a DB in Shamarko Thomas, he isn't going to be a dominant force such as Troy, but, he has good ball skills and can pick you off if you make a mistake. The next pick wasn't incredibly shocking. Landry Jones may be the QB of the future as Ben is aging. Landry has a strong arm and a good football IQ, good pick. Hawthorne was brought in as a future corner, he is very raw. But, he has good coverage skills. My grade for the Steelers- A. They had significant needs after a rough off-season. The linebacker, running back, and receiver position were the biggest needs. They responded by getting a once top 5 pick in Jarvis Jones to replace a beat up linebacker position. Le'Veon Bell and Markus Wheaton followed, both solid pickups. Bell, out of the big 10, knows cold weather and tough running. Wheaton is a burner, like Mike Wallace, and that grades well for Big Ben. Overall a fantastic draft. Ravens picks- RD 1 Matt Elam (S), RD 2 Arthur Brown (OLB), RD 3 Brandon Williams (DT), RD 4 John Simon (DE), RD 4 Kyle Juszczyk (TE), RD 5 Ricky Wagner (OT), RD 6 Kapron Lewis-Moore (DE), RD 6 Ryan Jensen (OG), RD 7 Aaron Mellette (WR), RD 7 Marc Anthony (CB) Ravens- The Ravens took Ed Reed...I mean Matt Elam. Might as well be Ed Reed. They are carbon copies. They then trade up to get the stud lineback Arthur Brown. He has the important duty of replacing Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe. Brown, out of KState, was a beast in college. In the NFL his size is what many scouts say will hold him back. He doesn't have the best vision because of this, that means missed plays. He is strong and fast however. He could grow into being the next great Raven. They also added a big fella to play up front, size at 335 pounds and 5.0 speed make Brandon Williams a potential beast. John Simon is another defender brought into the Ravens system. He gets to learn from Dumerveil and Ngata about how to play D-Line. Kyle Juszczyk is brought in to play with Dennis Pitta. Wagner will be a depth guy for the Ravens. My grade for the Ravens- C. The Ravens are defending champs and have lost a lot of talent from that team. Usually when a guy like Ray Lewis leaves you have guys to fill in, Dannel Ellerbe and Paul Kruger were those guys. After they left they had to go replace some defense, but, they also lost on offense. And, they didn't have a big time offense last season. They did absolutely nothing productive on this side of the ball. The defense wins championships mantra will be one this team will live by in 2013. Overall, I was not impressed. Bengals picks- RD 1 Tyler Eifert (TE), RD 2 Giovani Bernard (RB) and Margus Hunt (DE), RD 3 Shawn Williams (S), RD 4 Sean Porter (OLB), RD 5 Tanner Hawkinson (OT), RD 6 Rex Burkhead (RB), RD 6 Cobi Hamilton (WR), RD 7 Reid Fragel (OT), RD 7 T.J. Johnson Bengals- The Bengals had a solid defense last year; because of this, they were able to help Andy Dalton and the pedestrian offense. Tyler Eifert was brought in to copy the two TE sets that the Patriots have patented, Jermaine Greshman and Eifert will be an offensive force to go with AJ and Sanu. Giovani Bernard is the running back Bengals fans have wanted for a while. The quickness and hands of Bernard give them something different out of the backfield. Margus Hunt at 6'8" and 280 is a big man, he runs at 4.6. He will fit right in with the freakish linemen of Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson. The Bengals needed some linebacker help, Rey didn't have a good finish last year. The coaches seem to think he has potential, but, they are still looking for a little help. Porter brings some more speed to the outside. The Bengals went offensive line in the 5th to bring in some depth to a pretty decent line. They re-signed Andre Smith, which was big for the team, on day 2 of the draft. My draft grade for the Bengals is an A. The Bengals did absolutely everything they needed to do. The first round would likely be a safety or the best available, it turned out to be the latter. All of the safeties that were targeted, Vaccaro and Reid, were both gone. So, Eifert was brought to the Stripes. He was the best tight end in the draft and will work nicely as a target for Andy Dalton. Giovani Bernard is the explosive, pass catching, back they needed. Margus Hunt will work into a rotation of freaks up front, watch out QBs and RBs. The safety Shawn Williams and linebacker Sean Porter will likely see playing time and become starters at some point. They knew what the glaring needs were and got those filled before adding depth. The draft is grading good for everyone. Browns picks- RD 1 Barkevious Mingo (DE), RD 3 Leon Mcfadden (CB), RD 6 Jamoris Slaughter (S), RD 7 Armonty Bryant (DE), RD 7 Garret Gilkey (OG) Browns- The Browns.. Ah, the Browns. They did good with Mingo. He is long and fast, much like the new age defensive front players need to be. His long arms will aid him in bursting through the powerful offensive lines of the North Cleveland then went out and got McFadden in the 3rd round. He doesn't have the size to be on the field every play, he is a pure specialist at corner. The Browns hadn't picked since round 3. They had a void at safety and they will bring in a very good former Irish Safety. The Browns receive a grade of D. This draft was a complete train wreck. What are they doing in Cleveland? The only thing that saved them was Mingo and McFadden. Those two picks will work out nicely, I believe. The rest of the draft was just terrible. In a year when they had a shot at an AFC North title, why did they let the chance slip? FBI investigation is taking its toll on everyone in Cleveland.