The AFC North is one of the powerhouse divisions of the NFL these days and should be hugely competitive in 2022. All four teams made some interesting additions through the draft, with the Ravens looking like the biggest winners of the group. Here are my 2022 NFL Draft grades for all four teams.
Baltimore Ravens
1.14 – S Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame
1.25 – Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa
2.45 – EDGE David Ojabo, Michigan
3.76 – IDL Travis Jones, UConn
4.110 – OT Daniel Faalele, Minnesota
4.119 – CB Jalyn Armour-Davis, Alabama
4.128 – TE Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
4.130 – P Jordan Stout, Penn State
4.139 – TE Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina
4.141 – CB Damarion Williams, Houston
6.196 – RB Tyler Badie, Missouri
It is still early days, but at first glance there might not have been a team with a better first round than the Ravens. I had just three prospects graded as blue chip talents in the entire 2022 draft class and the Ravens came away with two of them. They managed to land Kyle Hamilton at No. 14, before somehow flipping Marquise Brown for a first round pick and taking perhaps the best center prospect in a decade in Tyler Linderbaum. Both have legitimate potential to develop into All-Pros at the NFL level.
Day two was almost as impressive. They took advantage of Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo’s slide and re-unite him with his college defensive coordinator in Mike Macdonald. He’ll also line up opposite his old high school teammate Odafe Oweh to give Baltimore a terrifying edge pairing. Travis Jones was another tremendous value pick in the third, further bolstering their defensive line. They even managed to find value in the later rounds, picking up players like Charlie Kolar and Tyler Badie who can be legitimate contributors at the NFL level.
Grade: A+
Cincinnati Bengals
1.31 – S Daxton Hill, Michigan
2.60 – CB Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska
3.95 – IDL Zachary Carter, Florida
4.136 – OT Cordell Volson, North Dakota State
5.166 – S Tycen Anderson, Toledo
7.252 – EDGE Jeffrey Gunter, Coastal Carolina
The Bengals did a great job of fixing their offensive line in free agency and this draft was always going to be about improving a defense that ranked 19th in DVOA last season. Daxton Hill was a great pick at No. 31 overall, offering the Bengals the versatility to play from the slot or as a free safety. Some have even suggested he might be able to fill in on the boundary and compete with Eli Apple for starting reps as a rookie. Wherever he ends up, he is sure to provide a boost to the Bengals’ secondary.
The defense got even better on day two, with Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt giving them another versatile option in the secondary with positional flexibility. I wasn’t nearly as high on the Zachary Carter pick, but he can at least be a solid depth piece along their defensive line. They only had a few later round picks but did come away with a very talented prospect in Toledo’s Tycen Anderson. He boasts outstanding quickness and great tackling ability and could see the field earlier in his career than many might expect.
Grade: B
Cleveland Browns
3.68 – CB Martin Emerson, Mississippi State
3.78 – EDGE Alex Wright, UAB
3.99 – WR David Bell, Purdue
4.108 – IDL Perrion Winfrey, Oklahoma
4.124 – K Cade York, LSU
5.156 – RB Jerome Ford, Cincinnati
6.202 – WR Michael Woods, Oklahoma
7.223 – EDGE Isaiah Thomas, Oklahoma
7.246 – IOL Dawson Deaton, Texas Tech
The Browns didn’t have a first round pick this year by virtue of the Deshaun Watson trade. They then traded with the Texans again to move out of the second round entirely. This was followed by three picks in the third round but it was difficult to describe any of the moves as inspiring or exciting. Emerson and Wright are unlikely to see substantial playing time by virtue of the talent above them on the roster, whilst Bell feels like a solid but unspectacular receiver prospect.
Their haul on day three was better though and they came away with a number of prospects who could easily outperform their draft status. The most notable is Perrion Winfrey, who they landed at No. 108 overall despite him being the 53rd ranked prospect on the Consensus Board. Jerome Ford is another interesting pickup at running back and he could certainly challenge D’Ernest Johnson for the RB3 role behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
Grade: B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
1.20 – QB Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
2.52 – WR George Pickens, Georgia
3.84 – IDL DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M
4.138 – WR Calvin Austin, Memphis
6.208 – FB Connor Heyward, Michigan State
7.225 – LB Mark Robinson, Ole Miss
7.241 – QB Chris Oladokun, South Dakota State
The success or failure of this draft class will forever be defined by how Kenny Pickett performs in Pittsburgh. Whilst the home town connection was obviously a factor, the move itself is pretty perplexing. Pickett’s appeal as a prospect was that whilst he might not have a high ceiling, he offers a relatively high floor and the ability to be a competent starter out of the gate. With that in mind, making this pick whilst also having Mitchell Trubisky on the roster feels an awful lot like a sideways step.
To their credit, the Steelers did a much better job on day two. They were the team who stopped George Pickens’ slide, giving Pickett a very talented trio of receivers to work with. They also landed DeMarvin Leal in the third round. Leal had been earning first round hype last summer but fell after some disappointing testing and concerns about being a tweener. If the Steelers can unlock his potential this could be a great grab. Calvin Austin could also come in and be a special teams ace from the outset.
Grade: B
