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2015 NFL Draft: quick-snap grades for AFC North teams

Spike

Spike

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Baltimore Ravens

Draft pick: WR Breshad Perriman (No. 26 overall), TE Maxx Williams (No. 55 overall), DT Carl Davis (No. 90 overall), LB Za'Darius Smith (No. 122 overall), RB Buck Allen (No. 125 overall), CB Tray Walker (No. 136 overall), (No. 171 overall), TE Nick Boyle (No. 171 overall), OL Robert Myers (No. 176 overall), WR Darren Waller (No. 204 overall)

Day 1 grade: C-
Day 2 grade: A+
Day 3 grade: B+
Overall grade: A

The skinny: It's hard to criticize a pick by esteemed GM Ozzie Newsome, but the selection of Perriman is interesting, given his lack of college production and issues with drops. He's a great replacement for Torrey Smith, giving the team some ability to stretch the field, and he lands with the perfect team to learn the game behind some veterans on offense. His game film at UCF gives some cause for concern, but not much apparently for the Baltimore front office. The Ravens did a good job moving up a few spots to land Williams, who could be Todd Heap 2.0 and gives the team a much-needed boost at tight end. Davis fell a bit in the draft but was a good case of the rich getting richer by going to the Ravens. Allen is a great match for the Ravens' offensive scheme and can really be an asset to the team on third down.

Bottom line: The upside (and downside) is obvious in Perriman, but Newsome nabbed some steals in the middle rounds as usual. Joe Flacco will be happy with this haul.



Cincinnati Bengals

Draft pick: OL Cedric Ogbuehi (No. 21 overall), OL Jake Fisher (No. 53 overall), TE Tyler Kroft (No. 85 overall), LB Paul Dawson (No. 99 overall), CB Josh Shaw (No. 120 overall), DE Marcus Hardison (No. 135 overall), TE C.J. Uzomah (No. 157 overall), S Derron Smith (No. 197 overall), WR Mario Alford (No. 238 overall)

Day 1 grade: B-
Day 2 grade: A+
Day 3 grade: A
Overall grade: A+

The skinny: There are some in the draft community who think Ogbuehi might turn out to be the best tackle in this year's class, and he was billed as such before his senior season. He's got great feet and fits scheme-wise with the Bengals. The team presumably was comfortable with Ogbuehi's medical issues after an ACL tear, and he could be a nice long-term fit. Fisher is super athletic and will solidify the other side of the offensive line. Kroft is a fantastic value, given his skills as a pass-catching tight end. Dawson might be the Bengals' biggest steal, though. He has the best tape of any linebacker and should have a tremendous career in the league if he learns from the other reclamation projects the Bengals have turned around. Shaw is great value in the fourth round, and his versatility will allow him to be a special teams maven in addition to playing corner and safety.

Bottom line: The Bengals scored with a very good draft class -- good players and, just as important, good value picks.


Cleveland Browns

Draft picks: DT Danny Shelton (No. 12 overall), OL Cam Erving (No. 19 overall), DE/LB Nate Orchard (No. 51 overall), RB Duke Johnson (No. 77 overall), DT Xavier Cooper (No. 96 overall), S Ibraheim Campbell (No. 115 overall), WR Vince Mayle (No. 123 overall), CB Charles Gaines (No. 189 overall), TE Malcolm Johnson (No. 195 overall), TE Randall Telfer (No. 198 overall), LB Hayes Pullard (No. 219 overall), CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (No. 241 overall)

Day 1 grade: B-
Day 2 grade: C-
Day 3 grade: A+
Overall grade: B+

The skinny: Is there a player better suited to this division than Danny Shelton? He'll give the Browns a great boost in the middle of the defense. As good as their first pick was, though, their second wasn't quite as good -- grabbing Erving at No. 19 overall was much too early. Plus, his best position, center, is filled at the moment, so he'll need to transition to guard early on. The team smartly traded back to get Orchard, one of the most productive players in the draft, but one whom scouts question whether his game will translate to the next level. Johnson can be a home-run threat at running back and should find a home on the return team, too, if he's not the starter early. Cooper has flashed positives in his game and solidifies the defensive line in Cleveland but was a bit of a reach. The team finally drafted a wide receiver in Round 4, and Mayle has all the physical qualities to develop into a top-tier option in the passing game. Pullard will be super valuable on special teams. Ekpre-Olomu has second-round talent and was a big-time value at the end of the seventh.

Bottom line: The team reached for most of its picks, but all fit with the identity of the Browns going forward.



Pittsburgh Steelers

Draft pick: DE/LB Bud Dupree (No. 22 overall), CB Senquez Golson (No. 56 overall), WR Sammie Coates (No. 87 overall), CB Doran Grant (No. 121 overall), TE Jesse James (No. 160 overall), DT Leterrius Walton (No. 199 overall), DE Anthony Chickillo (No. 212 overall), DB Gerod Holliman (No. 239 overall)


Day 1 grade: A-
Day 2 grade: D-
Day 3 grade: A
Overall grade: B-

The skinny: Dupree was being discussed as a potential top-10 pick, so the Stealers got plenty of value grabbing him at No. 22, and without having to trade up. With his size, Dupree suits the team's scheme better than the other top edge rushers in the draft, and he is a freakish athlete who can be a big factor on defense. The team needed to take a corner, but in Golson it got one who is 5-foot-8 and probably went a round too early. Coates' issues with drops are well documented, and that won't play in the Steel City. Grant is a perfect player for the hard-nosed Stealers defense and arguably provides better value than Golson. The team nabbed their tight end in the fifth round after several misses and might have gotten a great one near the goaline in James.

Bottom line: Dupree could turn into a monster, but a solid Day 3 didn't make up for some big reaches on Day 2.


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...ft-final-quicksnap-grades-for-afc-north-teams

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Boom or Bust!

Athough you could say that about every draft
 
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Gives the Bengals 3 different grades for each day, B, A+ and A and that averages out to an A+ total grade lol
 
WTF are the Stealers?
 
DE/LB Bud Dupree (No. 22 overall): A. No brainer.
CB Senquez Golson (No. 56 overall): D. I have improved his grade from F to D.
WR Sammie Coates (No. 87 overall): C.
CB Doran Grant (No. 121 overall): B
TE Jesse James (No. 160 overall): C
DT Leterrius Walton (No. 199 overall): C
DE Anthony Chickillo (No. 212 overall): F
DB Gerod Holliman (No. 239 overall): C

Overall, I would say it was a C. Dupree, Coats, and Grant will matter.
 
This is just plain stupid. The author doesn't even know how to spell Steelers, so take it for what it's worth. We had a great draft. Cleveland also had a great draft. I am not impressed with either Baltimore or Cincy's draft at all, very underwhelming. Besides us, I think the team with the best draft in the league was the Jets.
 
bmoritz said:
This is just plain stupid. The author doesn't even know how to spell Steelers, so take it for what it's worth. We had a great draft. Cleveland also had a great draft. I am not impressed with either Baltimore or Cincy's draft at all, very underwhelming. Besides us, I think the team with the best draft in the league was the Jets.
Click to expand...

How did we have a great draft? We had a great 1st round but the rest?
 
3 rookies that can contribute from day One: bud Dupree, golson and Jesse James.
Grant will be helpful on special teams, so should be Coates with his blocking ability.
Walton could make the squad given the few players there are.
Chikillo and holliman are PS material to me, but they can be contributors in two seasons.
 
Litos said:
3 rookies that can contribute from day One: bud Dupree, golson and Jesse James.
Grant will be helpful on special teams, so should be Coates with his blocking ability.
Walton could make the squad given the few players there are.
Chikillo and holliman are PS material to me, but they can be contributors in two seasons.
Click to expand...

I see 1 rookie that can make a meaningful contribution: Dupree.
I see 2 rookies that may may make the team and contribute long term: Coats, Grant.
I see 1 rookie that was drafted too high that will be a part time player: Golson.

The rest are PS or will not play any meaningful downs. Ever.
 
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The Steelers draft grade? Get back to me after the season. These so-called analysts couldn't grade pee wee football.
 
Bud Dupree DE, Kentucky
The Steelers had to get a young pass rusher, and they had to be shocked to see this kid still available here. A+

Senquez Golson CB Ole Miss
This kid has a ton of athletic ability and fills a major need. He might walk in as a starter. B

Sammie Coates WR Auburn
There is athletic ability there but too much inconsistency. Can he change that? It's hard to argue with the Steelers picking receivers in the middle rounds.C

Doran Grant CB Ohio State
Steelers needed to address their secondary more than any area and are doing that with their second cornerback. Grant is a tough, competitive guy who is more of a zone player. B

Jesse James TE Penn State
Local kid who has incredible size (6-foot-7, 261 pounds) and is a strong blocker. He's a bit mechanical in his movements but his skill-set fits nicely as a backup to Heath Miller. A-

Leterrius Walton DT Central Michigan
Former offensive lineman and multi-sport guy with a huge frame, excellent length and very athletic. Very raw but well worth this pick. B+

Anthony Chickillo DE Miami (Fla.)
Miscast former 5-star high school player at Miami. Played too heavy, lost weight and had a great combine. He has great upside and will get coached up well here. B+

Gerod Holliman FS Louisville
Poor tackler who appears disinterested at times but polar opposite in coverage. True ballhawk qualities and can serve as a trump card moving forward. A-

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/drafttracker
 
Coached up well? We don't even know if Butler is any good at his new position.

I'm as hopeful as the next guy, but to say that someone 'will get coached up well here' is a little pie-in-the-sky at this point.
 
Grading today, what we won't know until next year or two, meaningless.


Salute the nation
 
GMC said:
WTF are the Stealers?
Click to expand...

ha ha

I was reading it off a Bengals board when I copied it and they changed the name

link fixed
 
The ravens draft a guy with twice as many drops as Coates in the first round and Ozzie is a genius, but the steelers had a bad pick with in the 3rd. Seems crazy.

The Steelers also landed a TE in the 5th with better athletic grades than the TE they traded up to get in the 2nd.

The Bengals spent their top picks on 2 soft OTs in the physical AFC North.

The Browns drafted a run stuffer who will be watching most of the steeler games from the sidelines when the steeler go 3 wide and hurry up. They also managed to only get 1 late round WR in a draft heavy with WR. Their top WR Dwayne Bowe had as many TDs as i did last year.


The only pick that may have been a reach for the Steelers was Golson but when you see them back up that pick with Grant a few picks later, you see that they drafted a specialist to cover the quick receivers. In other words, they drafted a guy to deal with the kind of WRs who give the steelers the most problems.


I think the Bengal draft is terrible.
The Ravens panicked and drafted need with Perriman and Maxx Williams.
The Browns hit a bunch of singles.
 
Come back in two seasons and then tell me the grade. This is totally ridiculous to grade a draft now.
 
tapeANaspirin2it said:
The ravens draft a guy with twice as many drops as Coates in the first round and Ozzie is a genius.
Click to expand...

And the author even gave them a C minus for that pick. Since the first round pick should carry substantially more weight in the over-all grade average there's no way the Ravens get an A in their final draft grade. More like a C at best.
 
AFC North draft grades: Ravens, entire division, land solid classes

Pittsburgh Steelers: With age creeping up on the Steelers, adding youth and athleticism was priority No. 1 for general manager Kevin Colbert, and Bud Dupree adds both. A dynamic athlete with speed, agility and flexibility, he checks off a lot of boxes athletically-speaking and has the work ethic and selflessness Pittsburgh values. Athleticism was the focus for Pittsburgh in this draft with the Steelers gambling on undersized (but playmaking) cornerback Senquez Golson, "tool-sy" wideout Sammie Coates and cornerback Doran Grant. Thorpe Award-winning safety Gerold Holliman will get the buzz despite his shoddy tackling landing him in the seventh round, but versatile tough guy Anthony Chickillo is the Day Three pick to watch for the Steelers.
Grade: B

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...l-draft-grades-ravens-reload-in-the-afc-north
 
It was obvious why they drafted who they did for the secondary. Turnovers. For the overall draft, I'd give them a B to B+. In a couple years, after these guys play and get some experience, I can see the draft going all the way up to an A. Love the Dupree pick.
 
Mel Kiper likes us

Pittsburgh Steelers: A-

Top needs: CB, S, OLB, TE

The Steelers had a really good draft. I think they needed help at every level of their defense, and they not only added a pass-rusher, but they also went hard after secondary talent, which was needed because of how depleted they were in that area. Bud Dupree felt like a steal at No. 22 overall. Given the off-field issues that affected the pass-rushing group, to have him available at that point was a surprise to me. I thought he could have gone as high as No. 8 overall. Senquez Golson is one of my favorite players in the draft, an INT machine at Ole Miss who plays bigger than his size and has the hands I wish more wide receivers had. Elsewhere in the secondary, the Steelers added a steady college performer in Doran Grant out of Ohio State, and then the nation's leader in INTs last year, Gerod Holliman. You think they wanted to find answers in the secondary? Yep, those guys will be green, but at least the depth chart looks better. The fun one to watch will be Sammie Coates, not only because every wide receiver the Steelers take in this range seems to turn into Superman, but also because he truly is one of the physical freaks in this draft. If he can catch it better and add some refinement, you never know what can happen. They looked for some D-line help late (like I said, needs at every level) with L.T. Walton and Anthony Chickillo. Good week for the Steelers.

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...-mel-kiper-jr-grades-pittsburgh-steelers-2015
 
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