AFC North Projected Standings
Photo by: Erik Drost
Cleveland Browns 12-4
Best pick: 2nd round, CB Greedy Williams, LSU
This is the Browns’ year. The Browns traded for Odell Beckham Jr. during the offseason to give Baker Mayfield the best receiver in the league and went all out on defense during the draft, adding LSU CB Greedy Williams, Alabama LB Mack Wilson, and a few other defenders. Here’s what the Browns have created:
In 2017 the Browns had three first round picks which were all used to their advantage.
1st round, pick 1: DE Myles Garrett
Garrett finished last year with 13.5 sacks.
1st round, pick 25: S Jabrill Peppers
Peppers played alright with the Browns, but the main reason he’s important is because he was a big part of the trade that got the Browns Odell Beckham Jr.
1st round, pick 29: TE David Njoku
Njoku finished last season with 639 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.
In 2018 the Browns had two first round picks, both in the top 5.
1st round, pick 1: QB Baker Mayfield
Mayfield is the reason the Browns are where they are right now. Mayfield threw for 3725-yards and 27-touchdowns as he lead the Browns from the 0-16 record they had the previous year to 7-8-1.
1st round, pick 4: CB Denzel Ward
Ward caught three interceptions last year returning them for a total of 26-yards.
During this offseason the Browns traded OL Kevin Zeitler to the Giants for DE/LB Olivier Vernon
Now comes the Beckham trade.
The Browns traded S Jabrill Peppers, their first and second round pick to the Giants for Odell Beckham. Beckham caught 77 passes for 1052-yards and 6-touchdowns in 12 games.
The Browns are going to the playoffs and Baker Mayfield’s going to win the NFL MVP.
Photo by: MGoBlog
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-6
Best pick: 1st round, LB Devin Bush, Michigan
The Steelers had a good draft, but does that compensate for the loss of RB Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown? Another question, can QB Ben Roethlisberger lead a team or is he just there to get good stats and more money? I guess those questions will be answered during the season. However, the Steelers were able to get WR Diontae Johnson and RB Benny Snell, so at least they got decent replacements for Brown and Bell. I don’t have any complaints about the Steelers draft. I just think they should have at least made an effort to keep Brown and Bell. The Steelers were also able to aid their falling apart defense by drafting LB Devin Bush.
Notes: Diontae Johnson caught for 1278-yards and 13-touchdowns in 2017. Benny Snell ran for over 1000-yards and 13 or more touchdowns in each of his three years with Kentucky.
Baltimore Ravens 9-7
Best pick: 3rd round, Edge Jaylon Ferguson, LA Tech
The Ravens have a decent team, but I don’t think they’re going to win the division again. Currently, I have them at third in the division. That’s not because of their talent, I just think that the Browns and the Steelers have more complete teams than the Ravens.
The Ravens drafted WR Marquise Brown in the 1st round, giving Lamar Jackson a go to guy. Drafting Edge Jaylon Ferguson and signing S Earl Thomas were great moves, considering the Ravens don’t have an elite defense. A lot of the Ravens’ players are okay but not great, so it’s kind of hard to predict their season until after the preseason.
Cincinnati Bengals 3-13
Best pick: 6th round, RB Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M
What can you say about the Bengals? They are the new non-contenders for the AFC North title. You know, what the Browns used to be. The only good selections in the draft by the Bengals were in the 6th round (RB Trayveon Williams and RB Rodney Anderson). In the 1st round, the Bengals selected OT Jonah Williams from Alabama. That was a terrible selection. The fact that I’m an Alabama fan and I think that they shouldn’t have picked him shows just how terrible a selection that was. Williams is a great player, but teams in a state like the Bengals need big playmakers like Edge Montez Sweat or WR Hakeem Butler, not an offensive lineman. O-Linemen can be key players in a rebuild, but they shouldn’t be your first pick when so many other positions need to be addressed. Anyway, the Bengals are the new worst team in the AFC North, probably the whole AFC, maybe even the whole league, and it’s looking like they may stay that way for years to come.
