Best, worst draft picks in the AFC North
Now that the NFL Draft is completed, it's time for us to weigh in on bests and worsts. (By the way, the 2024 draft is April 25–27 in Detroit.)
BEST | Steelers, CB Joey Porter Jr. (second round): General manager Omar Khan had about as good of a first draft as he could have. However, his efforts were aided by a little bit of luck when Porter Jr. somehow fell out of the first round and right into the Steelers' laps.
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One of Pittsburgh's biggest needs was cornerback, and the Penn State product should fit in the defense perfectly. The Steelers received an "elite" grade from Pro Football Focus for drafting Porter Jr., who ranked as PFF's No. 21 overall prospect and the fourth-best cornerback. Plus, who doesn't love a feel-good story? It just feels right as he gets to play for his dad's old team.
BEST | Browns, OT Dawand Jones (fourth round): Jones slid in the draft due to some medical concerns but the massive 6-foot-8, 374 pound tackle could be the steal of the draft. The Browns took a fourth-round flier on Jones and it may work out as he ranked as PFF's No. 31 overall prospect and sixth-best offensive tackle.
Cleveland didn't make its first selection until pick No. 74 in the third round, but the team certainly made every pick count and Jones is one of the best. PFF gave the selection an "elite" grade. Jones allowed only five pressures on 419 pass-blocking snaps last season.
BEST | Ravens, OG Andrew Vorhees (seventh round): Vorhees tore his ACL at the NFL Scouting Combine and is likely to miss his entire rookie season. However, the Ravens saw his massive upside and traded back into the seventh round to grab him. It only cost Baltimore a future sixth-round pick for a potential future starter at the position.
Vorhees, who ranked as PFF's No. 126 overall player and fifth-best offensive guard, was one of the highest-graded offensive linemen in the country over the past two seasons. If he can return fully healthy, the Ravens got an absolute steal in the seventh round.
WORST | Ravens, LB Trenton Simpson (third round): I love Simpson as a player as he has a ton of upside, ranking as PFF's No. 71 overall prospect and fourth-best linebacker. But he falls as a "worst" pick because Baltimore had much bigger needs, most notably cornerback.
Cornerbacks such as Jakorian Bennett, Kelee Ringo and Clark Phillips III were still available, but the Ravens opted to add to their linebacker room that already includes Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen. Baltimore didn't address corner until the fifth round (Stanford's Kyu Blu Kelly) and may need to look at the remaining free agents to find who will play across from CB Marlon Humphrey in 2023.
WORST | Steelers, OG Spencer Anderson (seventh round): Overall, all four teams in the AFC North had good drafts, but Anderson lands as a "worst" pick because Pittsburgh was so close to having a near perfect draft. The Steelers already added guards Issac Seumalo and Nate Herbig in free agency, so Anderson is joining a very crowded room with an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster.
Instead, Pittsburgh could have taken a flier on a player who went undrafted, such as LB Ivan Pace Jr. or CB Eli Ricks. But of course, this is just nit-picking.
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