AFC North First round Draft pick preview

With the draft over I found myself wondering about the state of the AFC North. Compared to other years, it feels different. Especially with a unique year where almost none of the members in the AFC North had a top 10 pick. With this being the case I find that picking the right person is more crucial than ever. Did your favorite team pick the correct pick? Let’s find out.

Bengals

The Bengals are in an interesting spot coming off the heels of a Superbowl run that leads them to the 31st pick overall. There was enormous debate over what position the Bengals should pick: edge rusher, corner, and of course offensive line. With free agency and the increased depth of the offensive line, It made sense for the Bengals to look at defense which was heavy in-depth in this year’s draft. Daxton Hill is known for his versatile play which is something the Bengals franchise loves to have in their players. With both needs in corner and safety and Daxton having played a large number of snaps in both roles it just makes sense that the Bengals were high on him. He’s very strong in coverage specifically in the slot which has been the same strength with Jessie Bates. With the Jessie Bates contract issues, I even see him potentially being the replacement. I overall believe that this helps solidify a strong defense that helped carry the Bengals to a Superbowl appearance.

Steelers

With the loss of Ben Roethlisberger, The Steelers were put in an interesting spot, especially due to the draft being what some would call lacking in high-end quarterback talent. Regardless the quarterback issues are something the steelers needed to solve and their hope is that their pick of Kenny Pickett is the answer. Kenny Pickett to me gets a bit more flack than he probably deserves. To me, one thing that stands out to why he was chosen before any of the other QB prospects is both experience and how close he is to the steelers franchise. Both Pickett and Ridder have had four years of experience and plenty of film. The Steelers definitely had an interest in both Ridder and Pickett. Personally, I think why they chose Pickett is the amount of scouting and information they had about him. Being able to keep a closer eye on a prospect due to location simply makes it easier to know what you have in a player. To me, both players were relatively similar with Ridder possibly being more athletic and Pickett having the edge in pass accuracy and deep balls. When it comes to the steelers it also seems they prefer a more pocket passer type of QB and Pickett while athletic fit the bill.

Ravens
The Ravens had two first-round picks selecting both Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum. Kyle Hamilton was the top safety in college ball safely for years and without a doubt still a strong choice in this year’s draft. His stock has fallen a bit but I wouldn’t let that persuade you as he has amazing instincts and plays ball well. I’ve been high on Linderbaum throughout the entire draft and personally hoping that he would fall to the Bengals. Linderbaum was touted as one of the best offensive linemen in the draft. There have been arguments about his size but historically centers in the first round have worked out he also had a decent combine with high scores.

Browns
The browns did not have a first-round pick, they elected to trade them in a huge trade for Deshaun Watson. Deshaun Watson is a solid QB and we know what the browns are getting out of him. What we don’t know is when Deshaun Watson is playing and what type of Deshaun they are getting. The last season Deshaun played was alright but we still saw the Texans lose a majority of their games and quite a few mistakes from Deshaun. Regardless of his previous seasons, I do see him being an upgrade from Baker and has been one of the better QBs in the league the last few years.