Immediate reactions can sometimes be over reactions so after attending this year’s NFL Draft and walking out with an abundance of initial feelings, I sat down the past few weeks and sorted everything out. After total review, I came up with these rankings, gradings, feelings or whatever you want to call them. In this series of eight NFL Draft blog entries I’ll rank the teams inside their own division from first to last as to how I feel they did with their selections.   

AFC NORTH

1) Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals got more immediate help through this draft than any other team in this division and for that reason, I ranked them atop the AFC North. Of course, Cincinnati needed as much, if not more immediate help than the Steelers, Browns and Ravens but still, this team came away with four players in the first three rounds who can contribute right away. First round linebacker Keith Rivers out of USC figures to be the starting middle linebacker when opening day arrives. Rivers is a fast and versatile linebacker who piled up 163 tackles the past two seasons for the Trojans. His speed and nose for the football are assets the Bengals have on the outside but desperately needed in the middle. He should make this group better instantly.

Second rounder Jerome Simpson is a small college wide receiver who the coaching staff has already taken a liking to. Simpson has the physical (6’2” 190 lbs) and athletic tools (separation speed and good hands) that are coveted by teams but his level of college competition at Coastal Carolina is the obvious question. Cincinnati seems completely unconcerned at this point and they’re expecting him to be the #3 wide receiver replacing Chris Henry who was released. Simpson like first round selection Rivers is a high character person and very coachable player by all accounts. Those are traits being sought out by the Bengals who are committed to changing their image and they are also traits that should land Simpson in a role where he can contribute right away.

I’m going to admit that I am one who is going to fall for the dreaded “upside” word with third round defensive tackle Pat Sims. However, I watch a ton of college football and tend to lean more on what I see on the field rather than what shows up in workouts and Sims was a force in the middle last season for Auburn. He should become part of the rotation right away especially because of his pass rushing skills from the tackle position. On this Bengals defensive line which was pushed around easily last season I expect Sims to steadily get increased playing time and make this unit better.

Sticking with the SEC, Cincy selected Andre Caldwell with the second of their third round picks and as high as they are on Simpson, I feel Caldwell could have an even bigger impact. Florida head coach Urban Meyer’s offense doesn’t feature a lot of vertical routes but Caldwell ’s 4.37 40 yard dash speed makes him clearly capable of stretching the field. His 113 catches the past two seasons in this system which utilizes screens and the middle of the field illustrate his hands and toughness. He could step in as the Bengals return man in his rookie season.

Cincinnati should reap benefits from this quartet of players who can fit into areas of need and be productive in 2008.   

2) Pittsburgh – If I were to grade this draft on which team in this division obtained the most future help, then I would’ve listed the Steelers first. I shook my head in disbelief when the selection of Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall was made in the first round thinking that there is simply no room for him with Willie Parker and Najeh Davenport forming an already excellent 1-2 punch. However, when projecting down the road, it seems to me that Pittsburgh is preparing for a switch at the featured back position and in the not to distant future, Mendenhall will be their workhorse. The question is, did they need to do this right now and I think the answer is yes. Let’s face it, Willie Parker is really much more of a complimentary back than an every down type. Mendenhall is more of an inside runner, he’s got breakaway speed and he’s an excellent pass catcher out of the backfield. Parker’s inability to consistently get inside yards and his subsequent severe leg injury toward the end of last season were probably indicators that the position needed to be addressed. When Mendenhall fell into their laps at #23 of the first round, Pittsburgh made the choice that they really couldn’t pass up. For now, Mendenhall will act as the complimentary back but I’d venture to say that he’ll be toting the ball 20 times when September 2009 rolls around.

I love the next two picks made by the Steelers as Texas wide receiver Limas Sweed is a future #1 in the mold of Plaxico Burress and UCLA pass rush terror Bruce Davis is likely to become just that at this level. Second round choice Sweed was a man amongst boys while playing for the Longhorns prior to his wrist injury which eventually cut his senior season short and forced him to have surgery. His stock went down because of that injury but I expect him to rebound and prove to Pittsburgh and QB Ben Roethlisberger that choosing him was the right move. With Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington already forming a very tough and dependable trio, expect Sweed to make this as good and diverse a foursome as there is in the AFC.

For anyone who watched Bruce Davis play at UCLA, there’s no explaining needed. He’s a terror off the edge and the Steelers defense has always been geared to take advantage of quarterback sack artists. 33 tackles for loss and 24.5 QB sacks the past two seasons indicate that Davis can make it in the NFL but many worry about his ability to play defensive end in the pros. I can remember the same argument being made about Denver sack specialist Elvis Dumervil who was not drafted until the fourth round because of his size and supposed inability to defend against the run. Davis is a very talented player who will make an impact as a situational pass rusher in the Steelers 3-4 scheme and probably work his way into a starting role after a couple of seasons.

The remainder of the Pittsburgh draft had a couple of intriguing picks in fifth round QB Dennis Dixon out of the University of Oregon and sixth round free safety Ryan Mundy. While “Big Ben” is the Steelers centerpiece for years to come, Dixon could prove to be an NFL starting signal caller in time. His toughness cannot be questioned after trying to play an important game last season on a torn ACL and his mobility & passing accuracy are also strong assets. He’s in a nice situation where he can take time to learn the NFL game because reading defenses is the biggest need for his repertoire right now but in time, I feel he’ll become a starter somewhere. Mundy is a guy who was on the giving side of some fierce hits in the West Virginia secondary and I’ve just got a feeling that this is a player who’s going to surprise many.                              

3) Baltimore – The Ravens have a huge question mark over top of this draft as their selection of Delaware QB Joe Flacco with the 18th pick of the draft was risky. They traded up to get him and they obviously feel that they’ve got their offensive leader of the future but I’m not sure this was the right move. Yes it’s true that Baltimore is in dire need of a quarterback and yes it was widely thought that if Matt Ryan had gotten down to Baltimore’s original #8 spot in the first round that they would’ve pounced on the opportunity to select him, but to me, Ryan is in a different class than Flacco. The Delaware triggerman only began to fly up NFL draft boards after workouts where he threw the ball 75 yards in the air which impressed the heck out of everyone who saw it. However, I’ll again contend that throwing the football far is the most over rated aspect of playing QB in this day and age. Accuracy, ability to read defenses and thus knowing where to throw the football are the most important qualities a QB can posses. Will Flacco be an accurate and decisive quarterback? It seems to me that this player was drafted on physical size and arm strength which is great in workouts but I’d rather have Ryan or Brian Brohm on the field. Flacco’s small school competition even became a non factor to a lot of scouts and draft experts. Flacco’s got physical tools but I don’t know that he’s a franchise QB.

In my mind, Rutgers RB Ray Rice was under rated by many but obviously the Ravens felt strongly about him since they used their second round choice on him. I think he’s a great talent who can excel in the NFL but I have no idea why the Ravens needed to take him in this spot. The situation with 26 year old Willis McGahee the clear cut every down back just doesn’t seem to lend itself to Rice’s entrance on the roster. Barring injury to McGahee who ran for 1,207 yards last season, I can’t envision Rice having a chance to impact anything on this team for the next three to four years. Really like the player, really dislike the situation and the selection. Note that Brian Brohm was the very next selection made. Baltimore could’ve stayed at #26 in the first round and gotten the pick of the wide receiver litter which remains a major need area they barely addressed and then they could’ve taken a more polished and ready QB in Brohm. The Atlanta Falcons really got crucified by the majority of draft experts, sports writers and media in general but to me, the Ravens screwed up their first two picks more than any team. They should’ve walked away with a top flight wide receiver and Brohm which would’ve given them immediate help. Baltimore chose very good players but we’ll have to see how soon and even if they help this 5-11 team.

The next two rounds of the Ravens draft appear to be the solid part. I think the third rounder Tavares Gooden of Miami ( Fla ) will end up being a really good fit. There is some concern that Gooden may have to switch from outside to the inside in Baltimore’s 3-4 system but he was a stalwart of Randy Shannon’s defense last season (100 tackles) and with fellow Hurricane Ray Lewis to teach him the ropes, Gooden should find a home in the Ravens linebacking corps. Notre Dame strong safety Tom Zbikowski selected in the fourth round is certainly tough and hard working enough. It’s a foregone conclusion that he can be a force versus the run and extremely effective as an eighth man in the box but can he be trusted in pass coverage at this level? I’d answer yes because you can match him up with tight ends where his 4.55 speed becomes an asset. He’s got a great nose for the ball and should have an impact.

Fifth rounder Oneil Cousins has a chance to move right into a backup role on the offensive line simply because it’s a weak unit that is starving for depth. Cousins' versatility to play either tackle or guard helps him greatly but he’s a project who puts another question mark on this draft.

4) Cleveland – They basically had no draft as trades swallowed up their day one picks and left them waiting until the fourth round to make a selection. None of their five picks will provide much impact this season but UNLV inside linebacker Beau Bell is a tackling machine who figures to get some time and could in time crack a currently solid starting linebacking corps. Missouri tight end Martin Rucker is a talent but he may be wasted here with Kellen Winslow Jr. & Steve Heiden ahead of him. Overall, the Browns got little from this draft in the form of selections but the trading of their first three picks did result in QB Brady Quinn, Green Bay DE Corey Williams and Detroit DT Shaun Rogers which makes the lack of picks this year worthwhile.