2022 NFL Draft Grades: AFC North
Good luck navigating this division this year. The AFC North looks loaded on paper and the 2022 NFL Draft maybe provided more questions than answers. Let’s get down to business and hand out 2022 NFL Draft grades for all the teams in this brutal division.
Baltimore Ravens: Grade B
- Round 1: No. 14 – Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
- Round 1: No. 25 (via BUF) – Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
- Round 2: No. 45 – David Ojabo, LB, Michigan
- Round 3: No. 76 – Travis Jones, DT, UConn
- Round 4: No. 110 (from NYG) – Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota
- Round 4: No. 119 – Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB, Alabama
- Round 4: No. 128 (from AZ) – Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State
- Round 4: No. 130 (from BUF) – Jordan Stout, P, Penn State
- Round 4: No. 139 – Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina
- Round 4: No. 141 – Damarion Williams, CB, Houston
- Round 6: No. 196 (from MIA) – Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri
I already know the overwhelming support the Ravens are getting for the draft class. I also understand I’m the only person willing to tell the truth about this team so let’s get this over with.
Kyle Hamilton isn’t what you think he is. Probably the most overrated player in this class outside of Drake London. This idea that the Ravens landed their next version of Ed Reed is idiotic.
The Tyler Linderbaum looks great except when you realize that the Ravens traded Marquise Brown. It’s not about trading Brown. It’s what Brown represented. This front office told us that they were building an offense never seen before and Brown was better than Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, and AJ Brown. If they get the pick right the first time, this trade never happens.
I don’t think it was all bad. There are some really nice picks here. David Ojabo is probably a good pick. He might be better than Aidan Hutchinson. He’s also super raw and may flame out entirely. Travis Jones fits. Wasn’t my favorite player but should work. Jalyn Armour-Davis will figure it out somehow. I’m sure they have a plan for Daniel Faalele too.
It’s a fine draft. They made some solid picks and certainly did better than others. This just can’t possibly viewed as franchise changing because that concept is probably wrong.
Cincinnati Bengals: Grade C+
- Round 1: No. 31 – Daxton Hill, S, Michigan
- Round 2: No. 60 (from BUF via TB) – Cam Taylor-Britt, S, Nebraska
- Round 3: No. 95 – Zachary Carter, DT, Florida
- Round 4: No. 136 – Cordell Volson, OL, North Dakota State
- Round 5: No. 166 (from CHI via PHI via AZ via HOU) – Tycen Anderson, S, Toledo
- Round 7: No. 252 – Jeffrey Gunter, DE, Coastal Carolina
Not a terrible draft by Cincinnati. Hard to do well when you’re picking 31. The Dax Hill pick works for me. Guy can cover and it’s hard to really hate the pick. The rest of the draft? What are we really getting here? I don’t see a lot of contributors. Not a ton of sleeper picks I like.
Cleveland Browns: Grade B-
- Round 3: No. 68 (from HOU) – Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State
- Round 3: No. 78 – Alex Wright, DE, UAB
- Round 3: No. 99 – David Bell, WR, Purdue
- Round 4: No. 108 (from HOU) – Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma
- Round 4: No. 124 (from PHI) – Cade York, K, LSU
- Round 5: No. 156 (from BAL via MIN) – Jerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati
- Round 6: No. 202 (from DAL) – Michael Woods II, WR, Oklahoma
- Round 7: No. 223 (from DET) – Isaiah Thomas, DE, Oklahoma
- Round 7: No. 246 (from BUF) – Dawson Deaton, C, Texas Tech
Hard to nail a draft without first and second round picks. The Deshaun Watson trade needs to be factored in here. There are going to be some hits in this class.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Grade A
- Round 1: No. 20 – Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
- Round 2: No. 52 – George Pickens, WR, Georgia
- Round 3: No. 84 – DeMarvin Leal, DE, Texas A&M
- Round 4: No. 138 – Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis
- Round 6: No. 208 (from KC) – Connor Heyward, FB, Michigan State
- Round 7: No. 225 (from NYJ) – Mark Robinson, LB, Ole Miss
- Round 7: No. 241 – Chris Oladokun, QB, South Dakota State
You can sell your fan base on this. I’m really glad to see the Steelers aren’t dumb. They know Mitch Trubisky can’t play. It’s a quarterback and wide receiver league and they took care of both about as well as possible. Kenny Pickett was my number one ranked quarterback. George Pickens was my number one ranked wide receiver. Ending up with both has to make this an A, right?
I like some of the risks Pittsburgh took. I’m not a DeMarvin Leal guy. Looks like an athlete that has no idea what he’s doing. I think I trust Pittsburgh to figure it out? Calvin Austin is damn fast. Has real talent and can be used in a multitude of ways. I love that pick. Not to mention Connor Hayward is perfect. Chris Oladokun is one of my favorite sleeper quarterbacks. Job well done by Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin.
