NFL Draft Aftermath: Winners and Losers from the AFC North
The AFC North clearly made a stance on skill positions, or lack of one. Only three players went in the first two rounds of the draft who were either running backs, receivers or quarterbacks (Corey Coleman, Tyler Boyd, and Cody Kessler). Round four picked up, with three players selected (Chris Moore, Kenneth Dixon, and Ricardo Louis) but only four more in the next two rounds (Jordan Payton, Rashard Higgins, Keenan Reynolds and Cody Core). In the seventh, Pittsburgh decided to go with Demarcus Ayers to round out the draft for the north.
Baltimore Ravens
Chris Moore, WR – Round 4, pick 9 (107 overall), Cincinnati
Kenneth Dixon, RB – Round 4, pick 36 (134 overall), Louisiana Tech
Keenan Reynolds, RB – Round 6, pick 7 (182 overall), Navy
Cincinnati Bengals
Tyler Boyd, WR – Round 2, pick 24 (55 overall), Pittsburgh
Cody Core, WR – Round 6, pick 24 (199 overall), Mississippi
Cleveland Browns
Corey Coleman, WR – Round 1, pick 15 (15 overall), Baylor
Cody Kessler, QB – Round 3, pick 31 (93 overall), USC
Ricardo Louis, WR – Round 4, pick 16 (114 overall), Auburn
Seth Devalve, TE – Round 4, pick 40 (138 overall), Princeton
Jordan Payton, WR – Round 5, pick 15 (154 overall), UCLA
Rashard Higgins, WR – Round 5, pick 35 (172 overall), Colorado
Pittsburgh Steelers
Demarcus Ayers, WR – Round 7, pick 8 (229 overall), Houston
Winners
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Quarterbacks
Whoever is starting behind center on game day for Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Baltimore will have a lot of choices. These teams reeled in a haul of wideouts, especially in Cleveland where they drafted three wide receivers and one tight end. In Cleveland, new head coach Hue Jackson looks to turn the whole offense around. They chose to take skill positions in the first, fourth and fifth rounds. The Browns had 14 selections in the 2016 draft, eight of them went to the offense side of the ball and only two went to the offensive line. The Ravens went with one receiver in the fourth (Chris Moore) and Cincinnati got a nugget in the second (Tyler Boyd) and another nice find in the sixth (Cody Core). Pittsburgh Steelers focused on their defense for the most part and made Demarcus Ayers their seventh-round pick who will most likely play on special teams then add to the receiving corps.
Robert Griffin III/Josh McCown, QBs CLE
Depending on who the quarterback is at the start of the game, he is going to have the benefit of all three receivers. The Browns went all in to retool the offense under coach Jackson. Corey Coleman is the player that Cleveland is going to rely on the most to make the play. He has electric speed and is the guy they want the ball going to. Ricardo Louis is going to be a sub-package player at first, but he is another athlete with solid run after the catch skills. I think Seth Devalve was a reach, but he is a sure-handed tight end and if Jackson wants to run a two tight end set, Devalve will be beneficial with Gary Barnidge. Jordan Payton and Rashard Higgins will give either quarterback the short route receiver that they can trust to dump the ball off and go. Both players do have sticky hands and caught a combined 152 receptions for 2,166 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2015. Payton finished as the all-time career leader in receptions for UCLA. Also, to top it all off, Josh Gordon will return in week five.
Isiah Crowell, RB CLE
Going back to Cleveland, Crowell was basically on the roster bubble for the whole season, which is nothing new for the veteran. The Browns decided he must be the guy as they did not choose a running back in their 14 selections in the NFL draft. This season, he decided to post a negative picture of a police officer on Instagram which many thought would lead to his dismissal. Hue Jackson is going to go with the Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill backfield that he had in Cincinnati, but “Crow” will be the new Hill. Looking at Hill’s first two seasons Hill had 445 carries (222, 223) for 1,918 yards (1124, 794) and 20 (9, 11) touchdowns. Crowell is a much better player than Hill in my opinion, he breaks tackles and is quicker on the field, however, the offense is more limited in Cleveland, therefore, I can see Crowell having similar numbers, but probably more toward Jeremy Hill’s 2015 season.
A.J. Green, WR CIN
Since only one quarterback was selected in the AFC North, I have to go with which receiver will be the most supported by a rookie. Tyler Boyd will be the new number two wideout for the Bengals after they lost both Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones. Boyd looks to be more pro-ready than most of the wideouts drafted and will support Green well. He finished his career at Pitt catching 254 passes in three seasons. He isn’t the biggest of receivers or the fastest (4.58 forty), but has an amazing catch radius and will fit in the slot. Head coach Marvin Lewis noted: “He’s got to complement the other guys in the offense and I think he’ll do a really good job with that and give us another kind of weapon, which is good.”
Losers
Ben Roethlisberger, QB PIT
“Big Ben” got almost no help on the offensive side of the ball adding just one offensive lineman for depth (Jerald Hawkins) and one wide receiver who probably will be destined for kickoffs (Demarcus Ayers). The suspension of Martavis Bryant came before the draft, yet they still decided what they had was good enough. Unfortunately, with the Le’Veon Bell suspension, their offense is offering no support to the aging gunslinger. Even on the backup sheet, Pittsburgh will be forced to go with Sammie Coates and/or Markus Wheaton as their number two, but look for Darrius Heyward-Bey to possibly win the camp battle and become the true second receiver. Heyward-Bey caught 15 passes for 370 yards and two touchdowns in the four games Bryant was out for last season.
Justin Forsett, RB BAL
It seems to be clear that the Ravens are just not content with Justin Forsett. It is imperative in the Marc Trestman system to catch the ball. Forsett is average at best in this department. He is getting long in the tooth (30 years old), and had just one season where he finished in the top-15 among running backs (2013). Even though Kenneth Dixon may not be the most effective runner, he is a pass catcher and someone that can bull his way through the goal line and rarely goes down after the first contact. Keenan Reynolds can be the ultimate weapon as he can run, pass, and catch. He may only play in sub-packages but that just means less time for Forsett. Javorius Allen is the player that fits Trestman’s offense the best. He is a much better pass catcher and less of a runner. In his rookie season he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, so he is the third down back and most likely to fill the Matt Forte role that Trestman ran in Chicago. Throw in Lorenzo Taliaferro and Terrance West spells doom for Justin Forsett, and I would be surprised if he makes the team.
Andrew Hawkins, WR CLE
Even though the Browns are in a rebuilding stage they decided to go big at the wide receiver department during the draft. Corey Coleman will be the undoubted number two starter now that Josh Gordon is back. Now Andrew Hawkins will either fit in as the third receiver or even deeper. He will come into camp trying to beat out rookies Rashard Higgins and Jordan Payton for the slot position. Also, he will have to contend with Terrelle Pryor and Taylor Gabriel. He should have the leg-up over all four, especially because of his contract and his understanding of Hue Jackson’s game plan, but it won’t be easy.
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