One Bold Draft Move for Each AFC North Team

Choosing one path all four teams in the AFC North could take to shock the league at this year's draft.

Less than two weeks from the NFL Draft, it feels like the calm before the storm. Not much is happening other than small signings, but it will be a whirlwind of trades and player additions very soon.

I am going through each division and naming one bold move each team could make either during or around the draft. For some, this means aggressively adding a player at a position of need; others would be bold by changing their usual strategy.

The AFC North is possibly the best division in football top to bottom, especially if one team has finally found its quarterback after a stretch of below-average play.

Baltimore Ravens

Trade up for one of the top two left tackles

Baltimore is known much more for their trades down the board than up, but they have struck several times when they saw a player they liked, most notably acquiring a second first-round pick in 2017 to take Lamar Jackson.

A strong Ravens’ roster is ready to compete for the Super Bowl. The offensive line, particularly the tackles, could cause issues, though. Baltimore traded right tackle Morgan Moses to the Jets this offseason, creating one hole.

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley is still in place, but he took a pay-cut to remain on the team because of injuries and a decrease in play. He has never played every game in a season, and last year’s 13 appearances were more than any season since 2019.

ESPN measured the Ravens’ offensive line favorably last year, seeing them ninth in pass blocking and fifth in run blocking. They also lost guard John Simpson, though, so it will be an uphill battle to perform as well up front in 2024.

Notre Dame’s Joe Alt and Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu are generally seen as the top two prospects at left tackle.  Alt has been heavily connected to the Titans at No. 7, so maybe Baltimore looks to the Bears at No. 9 as a place for a big move up the board.

Chicago has only four picks in the draft and could be interested in adding more ammo. The Ravens would have to give up this year’s second and either their first- or second-round pick next year and more, depending on how much the Bears want to add in 2024.

It would go against Baltimore’s usual strategy, but they could make a big splash on Day 1, grabbing a guy who can play right tackle this year before eventually shifting to the left side. The Ravens made an effort to upgrade the pass catchers for Jackson; now they need to make sure they protect him.

Cincinnati Bengals

Trade Tee Higgins for a first-round pick

Cincinnati’s front office has said they plan to hold onto Higgins and try to work out an extension, but things change quickly. Ja'Marr Chase will soon reset the wide receiver market, meaning the team will have to make cuts elsewhere. Higgins is a very good player, but he’s not on the level of Chase.

I’m picturing a trade that happens the day of the draft but before the event kicks off, like Jackson’s extension with the Ravens last year. They may not love the idea of giving Higgins to a conference rival, but the Buffalo Bills have a desperate need for a top receiver and hold the 28th overall pick.

Along with their own selection at 18, the Bengals would be armed with two high picks in a draft that features a deep class of wide receivers and a deep class of right tackles. Cincinnati’s two biggest offensive needs would be addressed, and the team could move forward with more roster clarity as they negotiate with Chase.

It would be tough for a rookie to come in and replicate Higgins, but that player would have a much cheaper contract and up to five years of team control. LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. has been linked to the team often with the 18th pick and is considered to have star upside by some.

JC Latham, Tyler Guyton, Taliese Fuaga and Jordan Morgan are some of the tackles projected in or near the first round from big schools, presumably ready to play right away. Cincinnati would be able to grab two high-level prospects to lessen the blow of losing Higgins.

Cleveland Browns

Make a first-round pick

The Browns didn’t draft a player in the first round in three of the past five years; their last second-round pick was in 2021. This team has been hurting for draft capital since acquiring Deshaun Watson, but the last picks from the Watson trade are being conveyed this year.

Cleveland could wait and play conservative while making their selections. They have as good a roster as anyone this side of San Francisco and could use more depth than anything else. It’s hard to find a position where they could make a clear upgrade.

Duke’s Graham Barton is seen as a potential first-round pick on the offensive line, and many project his future at center. ESPN had Cleveland fourth in pass block win rate last year but down at 26th in run block win rate; even with a good performance, there’s room to improve.

Barton played his last three seasons at left tackle for Duke, so he would also be able to possibly fill in on the edges if needed. That will be important if the injury issues are still present that caused starting tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin to miss extended stretches in 2023.

They could also target one of the dynamic receivers, but this scenario sees the Browns solidifying the offensive front with a versatile big man who can settle into a starting spot as early as this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Draft a quarterback in the first round

This would be the third QB Pittsburgh would have acquired this offseason by different means after signing Russell Wilson then trading for Justin Fields. While the team surely hopes one of the guys on the roster is the answer, there is no guarantee for this year or the future for high-level play.

Four quarterbacks are likely to be drafted by the time Pittsburgh is on the clock at No. 20, so they’d be looking at Oregon’s Bo Nix or Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. as the fifth player at the position.

This feels a lot like the drafting of Kenny Pickett, which should scare Steeler fans. Pickett was the first passer off the board when he went 20th overall in 2022, but that was a weak class that saw no other QB go before the third round.

It turns out Pickett was a reach, and it feels like either Nix or Penix would fall into the same category. The best way forward (and most likely) is Pittsburgh sticking with their current veterans and drafting the best player at another position of need.

That’s not what this is about, though: We are looking for bold moves, and not many things would be bolder than adding another viable quarterback to the roster.

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