NFL DRAFT NEEDS: AFC NORTH

The days of being called the Bungles in Cincinnati are long gone. Joey B and the Bengals have not only won the division the last 2 years, but they have played in the AFC Championship Game both years as well. Their window is wide open and this draft is about layering depth to keep it wide open. The Steelers are a model of consistency but not the elite versions of the mid to late 2000’s. Mike Tomlin needs this draft to restock the defense and keep his streak of .500 or better finishes in tact. The Ravens are in major crisis mode based on their stare down with Lamar Jackson. Outside of Mark Andrews, the front office has failed to get him quality weapons and now are creating a mess with their contract negotiations. 3 years ago the Browns were a playoff team, but last 2 seasons they have had losing records. The inconsistent play on the field and adding in the Watson drama off of it has brought the Browns to a crossroads.

I have laid out the current state of each franchise in the AFC North below. We’ll review their current issues, draft needs and draft prospect targets for their first draft selection in 2023. Given the uncertainty around Lamar’s future in Baltimore, they might be in the market to draft a quarterback. The Steelers are in a great spot to land an immediate impact player, but could trade down to add more picks. The Bengals are in Super Bowl Mode and could trade up to find an immediate starter. The Browns are limited, so they will have to be flexible with their draft board.

If you are looking for positional rankings of the draft eligible players on offense and defense, we have you covered at Spinnable Sports. You can also find my Top 105 NFL Draft Prospects and Mock Draft 2.0: 3 Round Mock Draft in the same spot. The Irrational Confidence Podcast (@IRConfidencePod on Twitter) will be dropping our Live Mock Draft Episode very soon. You can find The Irrational Confidence Podcast on any podcast platform as well as the Spinnable Sports YouTube Channel.

CINCINNATI BENGALS:

CURRENT ISSUES:

• PROTECTING JOE BURROW
• LOSING BOTH STARTING SAFTIES
• DEPTH IN THE SECONDARY
• FINDING A REPLACEMENT FOR HAYDEN HURST AND SAMAJE PERINE
• TRYING TO NAVIGATE THE FUTURE OF PAYING BURROW, CHASE AND HIGGINS AMONG OTHERS.

TEAM DRAFT NEEDS:

• OL
• TE
• WR
• S
• CB
• RB

TARGETS FOR 1ST RD SELECTION:

• TE. MICHAEL MAYER. (NOTRE DAME)
• TE. DALTON KINCAID. (UTAH)
• TE. DARNELL WASHINGTON. (GEORGIA)
• S. BRIAN BRANCH. (ALABAMA)
• CB. KELEE RINGO. (GEORGIA)
• OT. DARNELL WRIGHT. (TENNESSEE)
• OT. ANTON HARRISON. (OKLAHOMA)

BALTIMORE RAVENS:

CURRENT ISSUES:

• LAMAR JACKSON CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
• SIGNIFICANT LACK OF WR DEPTH
• EDGE RUSHERS / OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
• DEFENSIVE LINE
• OLINE AND RB HEALTH YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT
• SECONDARY DEPTH

TEAM DRAFT NEEDS:

• WR
• EDGE
• CB
• S
• QB
• DL
• OL

TARGETS FOR 1ST RD SELECTION:

• WR. QUENTIN JOHNSTON. (TCU)
• WR. JORDAN ADDISON. (USC)
• EDGE. LUKAS VAN NESS. (IOWA)
• EDGE. NOLAN SMITH. (GEORGIA)
• CB. DEONTE BANKS. (MARYLAND)
• CB. KELEE RINGO. (GEORGIA)
• QB. ANTHONY RICHARDSON. (FLORIDA)
• QB. WILL LEVIS. (KENTUCKY)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS:

CURRENT ISSUES:

• IS PICKETT THE LONGTERM QB?
• OLINE IMPROVEMENT
• DEPTH IN THE SECONDARY
• DLINE DEPTH
• PASS RUSHER OPPOSITE TJ WATT

TEAM DRAFT NEEDS:

• OL
• EDGE
• CB
• LB

TARGETS FOR 1ST RD SELECTION:

• CB. JOEY PORTER JR. (PENN STATE)
• CB. DEONTE BANKS. (MARYLAND)
• EDGE. TYREE WILSON. (TEXAS TECH)
• EDGE. LUKAS VAN NESS. (IOWA)
• OT. DARNELL WRIGHT. (TENNESSEE)
• OT. ANTON HARRISON. (OKLAHOMA)

CLEVELAND BROWNS:

CURRENT ISSUES:

• LACK OF CONSISTENCY
• IS DeSHAUN WATSON WORTH ALL THE GUARANTEED MONEY AND LOSS OF DRAFT PICKS?
• HOW WILL THE SHIFT AWAY FROM NICK CHUBB AND TOWARD A PASS FIRST OFFENSE IMPACT THE TEAM
• NEED A PLAYMAKER OPPOSITE MYLES GARRETT

TEAM DRAFT NEEDS:

• EDGE
• CB
• RB
• OL
• DL

TARGETS FOR 1ST RD SELECTION:

• NO 1ST OR 2ND RD PICKS DUE TO TRADES FOR WATSON AND ELIJAH MOORE
• FIRST SELECTION IS 74TH OVERALL IN 3RD RD
• EDGE. ANDRE CARTER II. (ARMY)
• RB. KENNY McINTOSH. (GEORGIA)
• RB. TYJAE SPEARS. (TULANE)
• EDGE. ISAIAH McGUIRE. (MISSOURI)
• CB. JULIUS BRENTS. (KANSAS STATE)

This is the third installment of my draft need odyssey through the 8 NFL divisions. The next division in line is the AFC West. They will be followed by the NFC, led by the NFC East.