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Kiper '16 Draft RE-Grades...AFCN


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AFC NORTH

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Baltimore Ravens

Post-draft grade: A

There isn't one standout here, but really early on you have a bunch of players who either contributed or are certain to stick, not to mention a new left tackle, so it's hard to knock the grade down too far. Ronnie Stanley was obviously a huge talker, because the (reasonable) suspicion was that pick could have been Laremy Tunsil if not for the draft-night circus. Stanley did start to come on over his 12 starts and nearly 800 snaps, so if you feel you have your future at left tackle nailed down in a league where there are so few really good ones, you're thrilled.

Kamalei Correa was a disappointment, but after that it looks pretty good (setting aside Bronson Kaufusi, who was injured in camp). Tavon Young had 11 starts and often played well over nearly 800 snaps; Alex Lewis saw a lot of time and put in more than 500 snaps mostly at guard, where he figures to start in 2017; and there are two notable sleepers here. Matt Judon showed he could be a useful pass-rusher, which is a find in Round 5, and they score bonus points for getting important reps out of nose tackle Michael Pierce, whom they nabbed as an undrafted free agent.

Overall, a solid start for a class that, like Miami, is counting on that Round 1 tackle pick to be the blindside guy they hoped for.

New grade: B+

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Cincinnati Bengals

Post-draft grade: A-

I loved this draft at the time, but the Bengals had some bad luck with injuries, which drags it down a little now. Since people still haven't seen William Jackson III since he lost the season because of a pec injury, here's what I wrote then for a little context: "In the secondary, Adam Jones is 32 and Dre Kirkpatrick could be an unrestricted free agent next season, so cornerback was a quiet need. The addition of William Jackson III -- a player with exceptional ball skills -- not only made sense, it deprived the rival Steelers from the chance to take him one slot later." Now, Kirkpatrick is back, but any Bengals fan knows they still need Jackson to become a useful starter.

Elsewhere, Tyler Boyd at least tried to fill the hole left by the free-agent departures of Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, catching 54 passes, but beyond that there isn't much here. Andrew Billings missed the year with a knee injury, and Nick Vigil was just depth. Cody Core had some flashes and could play a bigger role if he develops, as a sneaky size-speed combo. Let's see what Jackson does in 2017.

New grade: B-

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Cleveland Browns

Post-draft grade: C

At the time, I wrote that I didn't mind the Browns trading down to stack picks, because (A) I always like trading down with the belief that more picks mean more chances to get players, and (B) the roster was so lean they might as well. But it was whom they picked that I struggled with. I wrote, "I did have an issue: This was not a bonanza, but it should've been." Now, the 2017 draft needs to be a part of that bonanza as well, because while Carson Wentz is no star yet, he at least is considered the quarterback of the future for one franchise while the Browns continue to look.

What did they get? Well, I thought Corey Coleman showed occasional star quality when healthy, but he missed 10 games. Emmanuel Ogbah showed a lot of potential (5.5 sacks) while starting every game. The tricky one here is Cody Kessler, who played really well for a rookie at times, but it was never enough to win as a starter, and you can't assume he'll be your guy just yet, because we don't know if he can stay healthy. (Kessler is another QB who was taken before Dak Prescott.) Spencer Drango played well in spots, as did Nassib. But overall, it's hard to give the Browns too much credit until they turn all the draft capital into players. Sure, a lot of these guys played, but rookies see the field for 1-15 teams, historically -- that's often why the 1-15 happens.

Do I buy the philosophy? Sure. Is it an A+ run of drafting? We'll see.

New grade: C+

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Pittsburgh Steelers

Post-draft grade: B

This draft was pretty solid at the time -- hey, a B is a good grade from me! -- and I think it looks even better now because I think they bagged three defensive starters that we can be sure of, and it's for a pretty good football team. Artie Burns was certain to struggle early -- you can repeat that phrase for pretty much any rookie cornerback -- but he showed what a competitor he is as he got better during the season, finishing with nine starts and even three interceptions. Sean Davis also had nine starts and should have that starting role locked down going into 2017. He also shined during the playoffs.

The steal? I wrote then, "Defensive line help was a need, and Javon Hargrave has a chance to be really good." Well, I didn't think he'd be this good, this early. Hargrave started 19 games and will have a starting role heading into 2017. That's really it for this class so far, but three starters is pretty good even if none becomes a star, especially because they contributed to a contender.

New grade: B+

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