Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore corner situation last year held back what could have been another excellent defense. Also, it’s probably what stopped them from making the Super Bowl. With their top pick, the Ravens made a big splash by drafting the mega-talented Jimmy Smith (CB, Colorado). There were off the field concerns about him, but I don’t usually buy into that stuff, especially not with Ray Lewis leading the locker room. Athletically Smith is on the level of Patrick Peterson, the undisputed best prospect in the draft. At 6’2”, 210 pounds, Smith runs a 4.42 40-yard dash. With the speed to stay with any receiver, Smith also is a physical corner that tackles very well. He is an instant impact player for the Baltimore defense at a huge area of need.
In the next round the Ravens addressed their second-biggest need with a player that could have gone in the first round. Maryland’s Torrey Smith is a talented, speedy receiver that can complement the bruising possession man Anquan Boldin. Finally Baltimore’s offense feels complete: a good quarterback in Joe Flacco, a great running back in Ray Rice, and a bevy of wideouts, which now includes a true deep threat. Productive last year and with good size at 6’1”, 205 pounds, Torrey Smith can run by many NFL corners and will be a perfect fit for Flacco’s great deep ball.
Central Florida offensive tackle Jah Reid was drafted because Jared Gaither may be out the door in free agency this year. At 6’7” and 330 pounds, he has a great frame for the tackle position and won’t be moved by bull rushes. Reid needs to work on mechanics, but he has the talent for the position. In a year or two he may be ready to start.
If Torrey Smith was their deep threat, Tandon Doss (WR, Indiana) was their possession receiver in this draft. Doss is a big target—6’2”, 200 pounds—who lacks top-end speed but has great hands and likes to go over the middle.
In the fifth round Baltimore nabbed another cover man from Texas (How many damn corners does Texas have?) Chykie Brown. Fast, agile, and smooth, Brown is a really talented in coverage, but he tends to get overpowered by bigger receivers. He could be a great fit as a nickel corner.
The Ravens also took a sixth round flyer on Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Who knows what he will be?
I love the pick of Jimmy Smith, a Pro Bowl talent. Torrey Smith fits a big-time need as a deep threat and is a solid receiver overall. Reid is a talented offensive tackle that fits a need, but he won’t be ready for a while. Providing Flacco help to truly thrive is hugely important, so adding a second receiver, Doss, was a nice strategy. In addition to Jimmy Smith, Brown can help in coverage right away too. The Ravens’ biggest needs were targets for Flacco and help in the secondary, and they got four players that can all help right away, so I loved their draft.
The quarterback, running back, offensive line, and front seven are very good. If this rookie class can come in and do what I think they can, they could push Baltimore to a championship.
The quarterback, running back, offensive line, and front seven are very good. If this rookie class can come in and do what I think they can, they could push Baltimore to a championship.
Grade: A
Cincinnati Bengals
Carson Palmer is not walking through that door, and to me, I’m not sure why the Bengals are holding on to him like grim death. His best days are behind him, and if Cincinnati can get value for him, trading him seems like a good move. I know trades can’t be made right now, but the Bengals have repeatedly stated that they will not trade Palmer.
More on that situation in a second, but now onto their first pick, Georgia wideout AJ Green. Comparisons to Calvin Johnson are not unfounded; he’s a spectacular leaper with great size at 6’4” and 211 pounds. Though not currently overly physical, Green could add ten pounds of muscle to his long frame without losing much speed, which he has plenty of, running a 4.4 40-yard dash. He makes an immediate impact as a deep threat and red zone target.
In the second round, the Bengals picked a guy I can’t quite wrap my head around: Andy Dalton (QB, TCU). The best way I can describe him is that he has first round smarts and fourth round skills. He’s accurate without a huge arm, but he can make most NFL throws. In addition, he’s smallish for a quarterback, just 6’2” and 215 pounds. But hey, Drew Brees is 6’ tall and is among the top-5 quarterbacks in the league.
All of the negatives about Dalton worry me because they remind me of Alex Smith. Dalton will probably be the starter from Day One, and though his arm isn’t a howitzer, he’s smart enough to pick up an NFL system rapidly. He struggles getting the ball deep downfield and does not have tremendous mobility. Plus, he came from a spread offense at TCU, which typically does not prepare quarterbacks for NFL success.
Dalton signals a revamping of the culture in Bengals football, and I don’t mean this to sound like coded bigotry. Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco—both unlikely to return to the team—aren’t thugs at all; they’re mostly decent guys but they incessantly crave attention. They distract from the task at hand: winning football games.
In the third round the Bengals addressed their need for a pass rush threat by getting a great athlete in Nevada’s Dontay Mach. Probably destined to be a situational player, with 4.4 flat speed and a 245-pound frame, Mach has the all physical skills to get to the quarterback.
Clint Boling (OG, Georgia) was a solid pick in the fourth round. After starting four years in SEC—you know how much I like that—he’ll come in ready for a physical pounding. Though not a great athlete for the position, Boling is the type of guy who could start this year and be solid, though he may never be great.
A really talented free safety from West Virginia, Robert Sands, came to the Bengals in the fifth. A 6’4”, 217-pound thumper, sometimes Sands tries to lay people out too much and misses tackles. He has good speed, and his length is an advantage in breaking up jump balls.
In the sixth round the Bengals nabbed (gasp) a white receiver from Stanford, Ryan Whalen. Though not a good athlete, Whalen is strong with good hands and should be able to get off the line. His ceiling is a solid possession receiver, and his basement is not making the team.
AJ Green is an immense talent, one of the most surefire prospects in the draft, who with Owens and Ochocinco out the door, fills a huge need. Dalton was probably the best choice available in the second round since Palmer has to be replaced, and if nothing else, he will be a solid starter in this league. Also consider the smarts and leadership he brings to the locker room. Moch certainly has the physical skills to become a feared pass rusher, but coming from Nevada we’ll have to see how he fares against much stronger competition. Boling is a pick I love because I think you’re getting a steady starter for the next 5-10 years, not great, but a guy you don’t worry about, unlike Andre Smith. Sands has big-time potential at safety but plays wild, and Whalen may or may not make the squad. They filled needs, got one of the best players in the draft, and brought in solid people like Boling and Dalton, so I think Cincy did pretty well for themselves.
Grade: B+
Cleveland Browns
The Browns only won five games last year, but they were a tough out for most everyone they played. Not overly stocked with talent, they were gritty and had a formula that showed promise.
I think not picking a quarterback was the best thing they did this draft. With no guaranteed passing prospects available, they were right to give Colt McCoy another year to progress.
With their first pick they drafted the jettisoned Shaun Rogers’ replacement, Baylor nose guard Phil Taylor. A monster against the run that can occupy two blockers, the 6’4”, 340-pound Taylor still needs to learn the game and get better technique-wise, but he has the ability to be a dominant force.
Pittsburgh’s Jabal Sheard played more defensive end in college, but he’s clearly going to transition to 3-4 outside linebacker in Cleveland. He has great athleticism, running a 4.68 40-yard dash, and has good size at 6’3” and 265 pounds. Sheard’s 9 sacks last year in college showed superb pass rush ability.
I felt that Greg Little (WR, North Carolina) was a reach late in the second round, but he does possess tremendous size at 6’3” and 230 pounds. For such a large frame, running a 4.51 40 is plenty fast, but this guy has a lot to learn and needs to really refine his game. A big-time talent, it’s a 50/50 proposition if he pans out, and he probably won’t be ready to make an impact this year.
USC’s Jordan Cameron is a very talented tight end to get in the fourth round. He has soft hands, 4.5 speed, and runs good routes, and he can help right away as a middle of the field target.
The versatile Owen Marecic was a half back and full back at Stanford and was another Cleveland's fourth round picks. This talented player will make an instant impact as a lead blocker, a receiver, and running back.
They really bolstered their front seven with Taylor and Sheard, which I loved. Little was a reach, but in the second round he was a decent pick considering his potential ceiling as a dominant, physical force. Or he could be an athlete that can’t figure out the game and we'll never hear from again. Cameron will help McCoy right away as a security blanket in the red zone/middle of the field. He also has some explosive, deep threat ability for a tight end. Marecic is the type of player you love because he can help in so many ways—running, blocking, receiving, special teams—and he’s smart.
The only thing I thought the Browns needed to do was get even more help for McCoy, though Cameron and Little are guys with big potential. The Browns have a good offensive line, running game, and spent high picks on the secondary last year. So clearly skilled receivers and front seven help was the order of the day, and they addressed those needs very well.
Grade: A-
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh doesn’t have a ton of weaknesses; that’s fairly obvious considering they are the defending AFC Champs.
With their first pick they get a guy in Cameron Heyward (DL, Ohio State) who fits in perfectly with their 3-4 scheme. Pittsburgh is strong but aging along their defensive front, and Heyward adds a dynamic talent that can enter the rotation immediately.
Offensive line may have been a bigger need, but they may get better at that spot just by getting healthy. Plus, they addressed the line with their second round pick. Florida tackle Marcus Gilbert is an absolute mammoth that played a ton in college and has the talent to start immediately. If nothing else, he will be a good backup right away and can develop into a good starter down the road.
With their next pick, the Steelers continued to address their top needs by grabbing the Texas cornerback Curtis Brown. Exposed by the Packer passing game in the Super Bowl, upgrading the Pittsburgh secondary was a high priority. Sticky in man coverage, Brown is a talented player who could have gone in the second round. He has a lot to learn though, foremost how to tackle.
The Citadel’s Cortez Allen, another corner, was a reach even in the fourth, but he does address the corner need. We just will have to wait to see if he pans out.
Nabbing outside linebacker Chris Carter in the fifth round was a steal; he should have gone in the third round. In Carter the Steelers drafted a raw, talented athlete to develop and eventually replace James Harrison. Who better to learn under than Harrison and Lamar Woodley for a young pass rusher?
Overall I like that the Steelers went strictly for addressing needs. They probably could have used some help at the skill positions (particularly a replacement for aging Hines Ward) but they upgraded their defensive and offensive lines with their first two picks. They also added two corners to what was a weak coverage unit last year, and I think at least Curtis Brown can make an instant impact. Carter was a big talent to get in the fifth that can be groomed to continue the tradition of pass rushing linebackers in the Steel City. The Steelers aren’t far away from winning it all again, so what they needed to do was get players that can instantly improve their few weaknesses, and that’s just what they did.
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