In the Hood offers the following guide to each AFC North team’s needs in the upcoming NFL draft scheduled for April 28th and 29th. Let’s start with the 2006 AFC North Champions:
Baltimore Ravens
With a solid nucleus of returning starters, the team has very few question marks as opposed to a year ago at this time. If they draft as well as they did in 2006, the Ravens will be positioned to contend for the division title and the playoffs for the foreseeable future.
QB: With its investment in Steve McNair set for 2007 and 2008 expect the team to draft a QB to groom as the heir apparent. Kyle Boller is in the last year of his rookie contract and may choose to look for a potential new suitor in 2008.
RB: With the trade completed for Willis McGahee, the Ravens have depth at the RB position as Mike Anderson, Musa Smith and PJ Daniels return in 2007. The departure of FB Ovie Mughelli will create a hole possibly for Justin Green to fill. Look for the team to draft a FB on draft day 2.
TE: The Ravens are set and are strong at this position with Todd Heap, Quinn Sypniewski, and Daniel Wilcox all returning in 2007.
WR: The Ravens have never been as solid at this position with the emergence of Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams, as well as the solid play of Derrick Mason. If the board allows, the team could target a pure speed / breakaway threat at the receiver slot. This could serve to plug an additional hole if BJ Sams is unable to effectively recover from his ankle injury or if off the field issues ultimately keep him off the field.
O-Line: With the departure of OT Tony Pashos, G Edwin Mulitalo and the potential retirement of Jonathan Ogden, this position looks to be the closest to being a need for the 2007 draft. Remember that Jason Brown, Adam Terry, and Chris Chester all saw the field a lot in 2006. No doubt that by Sunday, the Ravens will have at least one new offensive lineman in the fold.
D-Line: Not necessarily a need spot with the return of Kelly Gregg, Trevor Pryce, Haloti Ngata, and Terrell Suggs; however you never really ever have enough pass rushers, so the Ravens may end up drafting an end if the board works in that direction.
LB: The departure of Adalius Thomas opens up a slot for Jarrett Johnson whom the team re-signed, but opens up a hole on the depth chart. Remember also that Ray Lewis is another year older. Many believe that the Ravens will pursue a LB on day 1.
Secondary: The secondary looks solid enough, but speculation abounds that the Ravens will draft a corner to protect against the inconsistent play of Samari Rolle in 2006. Remember that the team has young talent at the corner spot in Evan Oglesby and Ronnie Prude plus they burned a No. 3 in ’06 on David Pittman. No need exists at safety with the return of Ed Reed, Dawan Landry, and Gerome Sapp.
Special Teams: With the exception of Sams’ (see WR analysis above) return to the line-up, the team is set with Stover, Katula, and Koch in tow. One of these years, the team will be faced with replacing Mr. Automatic (Stover), but I wouldn’t expect the team to draft a kicker this year.
The Cincinnati Bengals return a solid and sometimes explosive offense from the 2006 season. In order to contend for the playoffs, the team must improve its inconsistent defense. It must overcome losses at the LB position and must vastly improve a secondary to better blend with, balance and complement its strengths on offense. ITH expects the Bengals to focus on its defense with the 2007 draft.
QB: After Carson Palmer, the team has a need at the #2 spot as Anthony Wright has signed with the NY Giants. The team is looking at Tim Rattay as a potential replacement for Wright. Doug Johnson is the only other QB on the roster, so if Rattay goes elsewhere and another veteran cannot be found, the draft may be an option for the Bengals to consider.
Cleveland Browns
With talent at the WR (Braylon Edwards) and TE (Kellen Winslow) positions acquired in recent drafts, the Browns have focused this off season on improving what had been a moribund rushing attack and a weak offensive line as evidenced by the acquisitions of RB Jamal Lewis, C Seth McKinney from the Dolphins and G Eric Steinbach from the Bengals. The Browns also picked up quality players in the draft on defense in 2005 and 2006, but with many obvious needs they are likely 1 or 2 solid draft classes away from becoming a serious playoff contender.
QB: The Charlie Frye experiment takes off or ends in 2007. A tough, strong-armed talent, Frye must figure out a way to cut down on his red zone mistakes. Derek Anderson played towards the end of 2006, but he was as inconsistent as Frye. With the 3rd overall pick in the draft and and with Jamal Lewis in the fold, most speculators believe that the Browns will make a play for JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn.
RB: ITH suggests that the Browns forget about Russell and Quinn and draft Adrian Peterson who could be the next primetime back in the NFL. Plus, Peterson could spend 2007 learning the ropes from Lewis. The team has young RB Jerome Harrison and Jason Wright as back-ups and has just now signed former Raven Alan Ricard for FB help with the free agency loss of Terelle Smith.
TE: The Browns are deep at this spot with Kellen Winslow, Steve Heiden (recently signed to a 4 year deal), the recently signed Ryan Krause and Darnell Dinkins returning for 2007.
WR: A tempting proposition for the Browns would be to draft Calvin Johnson if he is still on the board at the 3 spot. Not a big need position on a team with other holes, the Browns return Joe Jurevicious with Braylon Edwards and the speedster Joshua Cribbs who had some big kick returns in 2006. More than likely the Browns will wait until day 2, if at all for help at this position.
O-Line: With the acquisition of McKinney, Steinbach, the re-signing of C-G Len Friedman, the return of Nat Dorsey, Ryan Tucker, Hank Fraley and the hopeful return from injury of C LeCharles Bentley (in 2008), the Browns have some tools to work with. The team also picked up rookie G Fred Matua in 2006. The feeling here is that they might see fit to draft a youthful tackle or guard to be groomed behind the veterans.
D-Line: The Browns acquired free agent DE Antwan Peek (Houston) and DT Shaun Smith (Cincinnati) to join Orpheus Roye, Ted Washington and Robaire Smith on the line. This is an aging group that is in need of a youthful injection. There are some young and inexperienced players on the roster, but the Browns should look to the draft to find some talent to replace the older players on the line.
LB: This is a young, talented and well-prepared group. Kamerion Wimbley, D’Qwell Jackson, and Leon Williams began to gel in 2006 and returning veterans Andra Davis and Willie McGinest make this a solid group. This is not a need position for draft purposes for Cleveland in 2007.
Secondary: The Browns signed S Mike Adams (SF) earlier this month, but with key injuries in 2006 (Gary Baxter most notably) and a lack of quality talent besides up and comers Leigh Bodden and Daven Holly, look for the Browns to draft corners on day 1 and day 2. They might also seek help at safety.
Special Teams: Unlike other positions on the team, the kicking game is very reliable in Cleveland. Dave Zastudil at Punter and Phil Dawson at placekicker could both be around for several years to come.
