NFL Draft Grades: AFC North
With the 2019 NFL Draft officially complete, theScore's NFL editors hand out their initial grades for how teams fared over the course of the three-day event.
NFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
AFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
Baltimore Ravens
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | WR Marquise Brown |
| 3 | 85 | EDGE Jaylon Ferguson |
| 3 | 93 | WR Miles Boykin |
| 4 | 113 | RB Justice Hill |
| 4 | 123 | G Ben Powers |
| 4 | 127 | CB Iman Marshall |
| 5 | 160 | DT Daylon Mack |
| 6 | 197 | QB Trace McSorley |
Speed was the name of Baltimore's game at this year's draft. Desperate for help at receiver heading into Thursday night, first-year general manager Eric DeCosta added two potential big-time playmakers at the position. Brown has a chance to immediately alter the Ravens' offense in a major way. While Ferguson, Powers, Hill, and Mack won't blow many evaluators away, all four fill needs. Lamar Jackson will be exciting to watch with his new crop of weapons in year two.
Grade: B
Cincinnati Bengals
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | OT Jonah Williams |
| 2 | 52 | TE Drew Sample |
| 3 | 72 | LB Germaine Pratt |
| 4 | 104 | QB Ryan Finley |
| 4 | 125 | DT Renell Wren |
| 4 | 136 | G Michael Jordan |
| 6 | 182 | RB Trayveon Williams |
| 6 | 210 | LB Deshaun Davis |
| 6 | 211 | RB Rodney Anderson |
| 7 | 223 | CB Jordan Brown |
On paper, Cincinnati's 2019 draft appears to be a successful one. When determining value with its selections, however, we see one closer to failure. Williams was an excellent choice at No. 11, but Sample in the second round and Finley in the fourth were among the biggest head-scratchers of the week. If the plan was to draft a quarterback, why not do so earlier? Furthermore, the Bengals felt the need to draft two running backs with Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard currently atop their depth chart. Anderson and Williams are solid prospects - though the latter has medical concerns - but it's difficult to see the point.
Grade: D
Cleveland Browns
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 46 | CB Greedy Williams |
| 3 | 80 | LB Sione Takitaki |
| 4 | 119 | S Sheldrick Redwine |
| 5 | 155 | LB Mack Wilson |
| 5 | 170 | K Austin Seibert |
| 6 | 189 | G Drew Forbes |
| 7 | 221 | CB Donnie Lewis |
Without many roster holes, the Browns employed a flexible draft strategy this year. Williams was an excellent pick at No. 46 - he was almost universally believed to be going in the first round. Expect him to be one of the top overall selections when it's all said and done. Though Takitaki could be seen as a reach, Redwine and Wilson offer incredible value on Day 3. It likely won't be franchise-altering, but Cleveland drafted a solid crop in 2019.
Grade: B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | LB Devin Bush |
| 3 | 66 | WR Diontae Johnson |
| 3 | 83 | CB Justin Layne |
| 4 | 122 | RB Benny Snell |
| 5 | 141 | TE Zach Gentry |
| 6 | 175 | EDGE Sutton Smith |
| 6 | 192 | DL Isaiah Buggs |
| 6 | 207 | LB Ulysees Gilbert |
| 7 | 219 | OT Derwin Gray |
While Pittsburgh's draft haul as a whole is somewhat lackluster, the Steelers should be given credit for being aggressive. After struggling at off-ball linebacker for years, the Steelers traded up for Bush, who many pegged as a top-10 talent. Unfortunately for Kevin Colbert and co., the value picks seemed to end there. Layne has the chance to develop into a starting cornerback, but Gentry, Smith, and Snell are questionable selections. At least Pittsburgh filled its major weaknesses to close out the offseason.