AFC North draft grades

By Lou DiPietro  |   Tuesday, April 28, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

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With the 2009 NFL draft in the books, RealFootball365.com will spend this week analyzing the hauls of all 32 teams and grading them on their weekend moves, one division at a time.
Part 1: AFC East
Part 2: NFC East

Next up is the AFC North, home of the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers.

CLEVELAND BROWNS
DAY 1: An interesting swing, to say the least, on Saturday for the Browns. They started with the No. 5 pick, but traded that to the Jets for a second-rounder and three players. That may seem like quite a haul, but one of the players was QB Brett Ratliff -- whose acquisition seems useless on a team with Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn; that is, until you realize he was apparently an Eric Mangini favorite in New York.

They then traded down from No. 17 to No. 19, getting Tampa’s sixth in the process, and just minutes later, traded down from No. 19 to No. 21...for absolutely nothing. That’s right -- nothing. Philly moved up two spots at no cost, not even a seventh-rounder or a future pick. To make things worse, the player the Browns drafted was California center Alex Mack. Now, he’s a good player and will compete for playing time right away, but replacing Hank Fraley wasn’t exactly their top priority.

In the second round, however, they got great value, picking up receivers Brian Robiskie and Mohammed Massaquoi. Both bring different skill sets to the table, as Massaquoi -- whose college QB, Matthew Stafford, was the top overall pick -- is a perfect slot receiver while Ohio State product (and son of former Cleveland interim head coach Terry) Robiskie is a student of the game who will be a very productive possession target. Their final Day 1 pick, Hawaii DE David Veikune, is a speed rusher with a relentless motor and will likely drop back to become a 3-4 OLB.

DAY 2: Fourth-rounder Kaluka Maiava was the least hyped of the four USC linebackers coming out, but he can be productive in the right system. In the sixth round, Cleveland took a pair of corners -- Norfolk State’s Don Carey, a speedster who could be a factor at the nickel spot, and San Jose State’s Coye Francies, who is a physical force but had some off-the field issues -- and Clemson RB James Davis, who was slowed in his senior year thanks to injury but was a second-round prospect had he entered the 2008 draft.

THE SKINNY: For every good move, the Browns made one equally weird one. They got a few good picks, but could’ve picked up a “better” receiver and still possibly gotten Mack; plus, their trade haul is spotty. GRADE: C


CINCINNATI BENGALS
DAY 1: Remember what I said about Andre Smith possibly dropping heavily a few weeks back? Turns out Cincinnati loved him all along, and snagged him at No. 6. Smith, if focused, can be a dominant LT, which allows the Bengals to move Levi Jones to RT and keep Andrew Whitworth at guard. They also got good value in the second round with USC LB Rey Maualuga; he dropped because of questionable coverage skills, but he’s a hard hitter on the interior who could possibly challenge for the starting spot on the weak side.

DAY 2: With nine second-day selections, the Bengals were guaranteed to find a few good men. Their first Sunday pick, DE Michael Johnson, is athletic and versatile and was mentioned as a possible early second-rounder, while fellow third-round choice Chase Coffman is an excellent receiving TE who could be a factor in the passing game. Fourth-rounder Jonathan Luigs can play center or either guard spot, and their final pick, Utah WR Freddie Brown, came on strong in 2008 for the Utes and could be a late seventh-round steal. While he may not have blazing speed, Brown is tall, strong and smart and can be a demon in the slot.

THE SKINNY: Cincy got its replacement for Stacy Andrews, a first-round value LB in Round 2 and a handful of players who could be very productive. Also watch out for punter Kevin Huber; the fifth-round choice is a local kid who, as a lefty, can give returners fits. Kyle Larson’s net average was below 40 yards last year, but that tends to happen when you punt 100 times. GRADE: B-plus


BALTIMORE RAVENS
DAY 1: The Ravens got their man, trading up to No. 23 to get Ole Miss OT Michael Oher. He’s tough and athletic, possibly enough to switch over to guard -- a position of relative weakness in Baltimore -- and a great run blocker. Plus, he only cost them a five to move up and get. In the second round, they snagged Utah DE Paul Kruger; he will switch to OLB in the 3-4, and is a good run-stuffer who can find a way to get to the quarterback.

DAY 2: Their first pick, Nicholls State CB Lardarius Webb, is a good fit; he’s versatile enough to be a safety or a nickel corner, but he’s also an excellent return man. From there, it gets a little puzzling. Baltimore made two trades to shuffle position (adding a pick to replace the one it lost on the Oher trade) and picked up TCU ILB Jason Phillips and East Carolina TE Davon Drew in the fifth round, as well as Virginia RB Cedric Peerman in the sixth. Phillips is a hard worker and a character guy, but even in a 3-4 he seems more suited to being a reserve. Drew is a good receiver and has the potential to be a good H-back, but he needs to work on blocking and is stuck behind Todd Heap and LJ Smith. Peerman, meanwhile, has the speed/strength combo to be an inside runner, but he seems more suited to being a third-down back -- which the Ravens have two of already.

THE SKINNY: The Ravens got some good players, especially for their system, but may have waited too long to solve their secondary issues and didn’t even look at receivers. I know it’s a running offense, but Derrick Mason is 35 and Yamon Figurs is on the depth chart. That’s telling of a need. GRADE: B-minus


PITTSBURGH STEELERS
DAY 1: An interesting first round choice, as while most mocks had them taking an interior lineman, the Steelers nabbed Missouri DT Evander “Ziggy” Hood. The Steelers do have a lot of age on their D-line (nose tackle Casey Hampton specifically will be 32 this season) and Hood is a physical interior pass rusher, so he fits in well on that line. He was their only Saturday selection, as Pittsburgh traded its two and four to Denver for a pair of threes.

DAY 2: With those two picks acquired from Denver, the Steelers got good value in Wisconsin O-lineman Kraig Urbik and Ole Miss WR Mike Wallace. Urbik was a three-sport athlete, an All-Big Ten lineman and projects to be a mauler at RG for the Steelers, while Wallace is a raw but athletic WR who will help in the return game while he learns how to be an NFL receiver. Their second-day gems could be fifth-rounder Joe Burnett, a CB out of UCF who can also be a return threat and a solid Cover-2 corner; seventh-rounder AQ Shipley, a Penn State O-lineman whose toughness and character help compensate for less-than-ideal size; and sixth-rounder Ra‘Shon Harris, a DT who will take up space and knows how to collapse a pocket.

THE SKINNY: While they probably should have addressed their O-line needs a little more, it’s hard to argue with the team holding the Lombardi Trophy. The Steelers got a handful of good players who fit their system well, which is about all any team can ask for. GRADE: B-plus
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About Lou DiPietro

Lou DiPietro is an accomplished freelance writer who is fascinated with all things sports. In addition to his duties at RealFootball365.com, Lou contributes to TheBleacherReport.com and Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, and has been featured on "The Sports Buffet with Matt West" on 1080-AM ESPN ...
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