It's a new day in the AFC North and the Cleveland Browns are the favorites to win the division!
They had to trade out of the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft to do it, but Odell Beckham Jr. is worth a lot more than Jabrill Peppers, a first-round pick (Dexter Lawrence) and a third-round pick (Oshane Ximines).
The Ravens rebuilt their WR depth chart, drafting talented, speedy receivers.
In Cincinnati, they may have drafted their future QB.
While it is impossible to replace Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell (unless you believe James Conner already did that) in one offseason, Pittsburgh did add a WR, RB and TE in the draft.
Will any of these rookies have an impact in fantasy football? Find out below!
2019 Fantasy Football AFC North NFL Draft Recap
Free five-minute mock drafts against industry experts and custom analysis for your team with the FantasyPros Draft Wizard.
Baltimore Ravens
Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma - 1.25
In eight games with Lamar Jackson as starter (including postseason), #Ravens WRs averaged 18.1 PPR points per game. This was the worst per game average for a single-team in six seasons (2012 Chiefs - 16.1 PPG).
Amazing real life fit for Hollywood... but stone worst for fantasy.
— Graham Barfield (@GrahamBarfield) April 26, 2019
I think we all anticipated the Ravens drafting a WR (or two) in this draft, but I was surprised to see them go after Marquise "Hollywood" Brown. I say that because he is 5'8, 165 lbs and coming off a lisfranc injury.
Yes, he is quite possibly the most electric WR in the draft class, but I am not sure he was the best fit for the Ravens or your fantasy football team.
Brown sits atop their WR depth chart as Baltimore only returned Willie Snead and Chris Moore from last year's roster. Michael Crabtree is a free agent and John Brown signed with the Buffalo Bills.
Here is a link to one of my tweets highlighting the drop off in production at WR when Joe Flacco was benched in favor of Lamar Jackson. I still believe it was the right decision and love Lamar Jackson as a football player, but do not want any of his pass-catching teammates on my fantasy football teams.
The New England Patriots were the only other team to draft a WR in the first round - N'Keal Harry, Arizona State, 32nd overall.
Miles Boykin, WR, Notre Dame - 3.29
Another WR heads to the #Ravens with the selection of Notre Dame's Miles Boykin. He jumped out of the gym at the combine with a massive 43.5-inch vertical and 11’8″ broad jump. Boykin also impressed with the fastest 3-cone (6.77) and third-fastest short shuttle (4.07) among WRs. pic.twitter.com/0I5EWxXHai
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) April 27, 2019
At 6'4, 220 lbs, Boykin will look like Brown's big brother on the field.
It's clear what the Ravens did in this draft - give Lamar Jackson deep ball threats.
This will prevent opposing defenses from stacking the box against the run game, opening things up for Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, Kenneth Dixon and Lamar Jackson.
Justice Hill, RB, Oklahoma State - 4.11
In Hill, the Ravens added the fastest running back in the draft. He is buried on the depth chart, but we all know how quickly things can change in the NFL.
Trace McSorley, QB, Penn State - 6.24
McSorley isn't here to compete with Lamar Jackson but could be used in a Taysom Hill type role. He is the 3rd QB on the depth chart behind Robert Griffin.
Baltimore also drafted a guard named Ben Powers out of Oklahoma in the fourth round. As a team that will rely on the ground game, adding depth to the offensive line is a must and Marshal Yanda will be 35-years-old this season.
Cincinnati Bengals
Drew Sample, TE, Washington - 2.20
I will be honest, Sample was not one of my top five tight ends and think the Bengals will regret passing Jace Sternberger. That being said, Sample is a great run blocker and didn't drop a pass in his final year at Washington. With Tyler Eifert's injury history, there is potential for Sample to be near the top in rookie TE snaps but limit your expectations. This appears to be a pick to improve their running game, more than give Andy Dalton another weapon on offense.
Ryan Finley, QB, NC State - 4.02
i for one will be investing in Finley is my dynasty leagues. Andy Dalton's Bengals career is almost done with Marvin Lewis gone and for all we know, new Head Coach Zac Taylor could turn to Finley sooner rather than later. Cincinnati traded up six spots and an additional two sixth-round picks to draft Finley.
Trayveon Williams, RB, Texas A&M - 6.09
Rodney Anderson, RB, Oklahoma - 6.38
Adding two running backs to the depth chart doesn't hurt Joe Mixon this year but could have an impact in coming years. This signifies that Gio Bernard is in his final year with the Bengals.
The Bengals spent their first round pick, 11th overall, on offensive tackle Jonah Williams out of Alabama. That, plus the Sample pick is great news for the Bengals running backs.
Cleveland Browns
Drew Forbes, OT, Southeast Missouri State - 6.16
Yup, that is a real college where NFL players come from. According to FootballDB.com, this is their fourth player since 2003 and last year the Green Bay Packers spent a 7th round pick on LB Kendall Donnerson.
It is important to remember that while the Browns offensive line was very good last year, they traded RG Kevin Zeitler to the New York Giants this offseason. Austin Corbett is expected to be the starting RG in 2019 and was a 2nd round pick last year out of Nevada.
The Cleveland Brown did not draft a single offensive skill position player, and that makes sense considering their depth chart heading into the season. They did add Greedy Williams & Sheldrick Redwine to their secondary and added LB depth with Sione Takitaki & Mack Wilson.
Check out the Forbes hype reel!
https://twitter.com/GoSoutheast/status/1122233093711175680
Pittsburgh Steelers
Diontae Johnson, WR, Toledo - 3.02
Johnson is clearly not Antonio Brown's replacement, that job belongs to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Johnson is a deep threat and good luck tackling him one-on-one. Also, keep in mind the Steelers history of drafting and developing WRs. Johnson is a better dynasty pick than redraft in 2019 as James Washington is ahead of him on the depth chart.
Benny Snell Jr., RB, Kentucky - 4.20
Snell made himself known during the NFL Combine...in a negative way. However, he could be a steal as the 10th running back selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. With Le'Veon Bell wearing a New York Jets helmet these days, Snell sits behind James Conner and Jaylen Samuels on the RB depth chart. I have no doubt in my mind that he will have a week or two where he finishes as a top-24 RB, I just hope I added him via the Waiver Wire those weeks! He is a bull of a runner and could steal goal line carries from Conner.
Zach Gentry, TE, Michigan - 5.03
At 6'8, 265lbs, the Steelers drafted a sixth offensive lineman that can catch the football without a flag being thrown.
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