Behind The Steel Curtain gives out NFL Draft grades to every team in the AFC North and AFC East. The Cincinnati Bengals fare the best overall, getting an A+ for, in particular, grabbing Devon Still, Mohamed Sanu, Brandon Thompson, Orson Charles and Marvin Jones. The Steelers get an overall grade of A mainly for getting David DeCastro, Mike Adams and Alameda Ta’amu.
The Steelers once again had themselves another impressive draft. Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin sat back at 24 and let their board play out. When they got on the clock, they simply looked at their board and took the BPA. They did the same things in round 2 and three and decided to make a move up for a NT they coveted in Alameda Ta’amu. This draft could position the Steelers nicely for the next decade on the offensive line.
The Ravens get a B, and the Browns get a C+. In the East, the Bills get a B+, thanks in part to their selections of Cordy Glenn and Zebrie Sanders. The Jets and Dolphins get B’s. The Patriots get a C+.
Of course, it’s fair to note at this point that most teams getting good “grades” in this draft were taking the highest-ranked players. Other teams knew perfectly well who the highest-ranked players were and chose not to draft them. If a team has a track record of being smart, as the Patriots do, I might be inclined to cut them some slack until we see how their picks fare at the NFL level.
For more on the NFL Draft, check out Mocking The Draft.