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At least we came out ahead of the Browns..... seems it all hinges on Pickett and how he ends up.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Improved Roster: A+
Used Resources Well: A-
Met Needs: C
FINAL PPA: B
The Ravens drafted two top-10 talents in Kyle Hamilton and Taylor Lindebaum in the first round and two first-round values in Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo and UConn defensive tackle Travis Jones on Day 2. They pulled off these coups by gobbling up prospects who fell to them because of positional value, injuries, slow 40 times, or size concerns, and by remaining patient while other teams panicked and traded three years of assets to draft potential WR2s. They then made 1,978 selections in the fourth round due to compensatory tricks and clever trading. The Ravens have done this sort of thing for decades and deserve kudos for it.
Also, the Ravens traded top receiver Marquise Brown away because he was weary of being a 180-pound run blocker; they will enter minicamp with Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, and James Proche as their top three receivers. So let's not pretend that everything they touched this weekend turned into diamonds.
Cincinnati Bengals
Improved Roster: B
Used Resources Well: B
Met Needs: B
FINAL PPA: B
Dax Hill, Cam Taylor-Britt, and Tycen Anderson are all versatile, max-effort reinforcements for a secondary that was already pretty solid. The Bengals must be making sure that they not only have enough defensive backs to survive playoff shootouts with the Bills, but enough open-field aggressors who can take away the Steelers' YAC game and fight through blockers while chasing Lamar Jackson & Friends as well.
I would have added more on the edge than Florida's Zach Carter (who is more of a wave defender) and a seventh-rounder and more along the offensive line than North Dakota State's Cordell Volson. But the Bengals appear to have entered the offseason with a plan and stuck to it, something newly minted contenders often struggle to do.
Cleveland Browns
Improved Roster: B
Used Resources Well: C-
Met Needs: C-
FINAL PPA: C
When the Browns fall off the analytics wagon and go on their biannual bad-decision benders, things can go south in a hurry. Like, kicker-in-the-fourth-round south. If you needed any more evidence that the Browns crashed through their beloved guardrails when they traded for Deshaun Watson, it's Cade York, who doesn't even kick off for heaven's sake.
The Browns then added Cincinnati's Jerome Ford with the pick after York, because nothing screams "coherent, data-driven plan" like adding a fourth running back when you have two veterans under second contracts and a former UDFA who had several huge games behind your star-studded offensive line. (Please spare me any explanations of a long-range success plan at running back by a team that has zero depth at other, more critical positions).
Martin Emerson is a fine third-round value as a big-body cornerback. Alex Wright has long arms and not much else, which is how I interpret "moldable traits" on a defender who did nothing to impress me on tape and didn't work out at the combine or a pro day. David Bell is a slower Jarvis Landry, but I liked him in the third round, and I am a huge fan of Oklahoma defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey.
All of this will just be quibbling if Deshaun Watson turns out to be non-suspended and awesome on the field. But let's stop pretending that the Browns are doing anything this offseason except flying by the seat of Jimmy Haslam's pants.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Improved Roster: B-
Used Resources Well: C+
Met Needs: C+
FINAL PPA: C+
Kenny Pickett is fine. George Pickens will provide Pickett and Mitch Trubisky with a capable downfield target; Calvin Austin will do the same as a fun, dynamic, YAC jitterbug. DeMarvin Leal would be an uninspiring selection for most teams, but he fits the Steelers' system as a two-gapping 5-technique type. The choice to add zero reinforcements along the offensive line was odd, even factoring in free-agent additions, and the lack of wheeling-dealing, while on brand for the Steelers, was uninspiring for a team in a state of radical transition.
Overall, a sturdy, professional final draft for Kevin Colbert, but not one that charts the course for the next Steelers era, unless Pickett is FAR better than anyone suspects.
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