The AFC North is one of the few divisions left in the NFL that plays more with the old school, hard nose defense with a strong offense, rather than a run and gun passing offense. With this style of play it is vital that a team have a running back that can do it all and put the team on his back and carry them to victory on a snowy, cold day in December to clinch a playoff berth. With that, I will rank the running backs based on skill, potential, and leadership abilities to take his team to the promise land.

1 Ray Rice, HB, Baltimore Ravens

                Ray Rice is by far the best running back in the AFC North. His small stature may deceive you but he is actually a hard runner who can charge his way through a defensive line or cut to the outside and out run the linebackers. When the Ravens picked him in the second round it was a steal to say the least, but I'm not sure that anyone knew he would be this good.

2 Trent Richardson, HB, Cleveland Browns

                The guy hasn't played a down in the NFL and he is already near the top??? Yeah, as a matter of fact he is. This is the highest that the Cleveland Browns have ever drafted a running back in the history of the franchise. (Which doesn't include Ernie Davis because he was acquired from Washington after he was drafted, but had his career not been cut short, he would have been something special too.) Richardson being drafted this high was no fluke. He has all the moves to trip up a defender without them laying a hand on him, all while Richardson can bench over 500 pounds and still maintain excellent speed. He will be around this division for a long time to come.

3 Rashard Menenhall, HB, Pittsburgh Steelers

                If Mendenhall has not torn his ACL I definitely would have placed him higher than Trent Richardson. Mendenhall has already proven what he can do to lead a team on the field. The only problem for him is that a torn ACL is a tough injury to return from and I'm just not sure if he will ever be the same after this.

4 Ben Jarvus Green Ellis, HB, Cincinnati Bengals

                I'm just not sure that Green Ellis makes the team any better than when they had Cedric Benson in the backfield. Besides not having off the field issues, he is that much quicker or that much better in shaking the defense. The Bengals lack a playmaker at this position and the only way they are going to solve the problem at hand is if they go out and find a stud in the draft in the same way that the Ravens took Ray Rice.   

The Cleveland Browns held their rookie minicamp this past weekend where they introduced the new faces of the franchise to the pro style, west coast offense, of the Cleveland Browns. The first man to be thrown into the fire was Brandon Weeden. Unlike popular belief, Weeden actually spent much of his first two years in college football until a ruptured thumb injury made it more painful to be a under center. (This injury has since heeled completely 100% and is expected to be no issue while working under center in Cleveland (that we know of)). After the injury Brandon Weeden was strictly taking snaps from the shotgun where he proceeded to set record after record throwing to guys like Justin Blackmon who was also taken in the first round.

From all reports Weeden seemed to take things in stride. At first he fumbled a couple snaps and handoffs with both left handed and right handed centers while also handing it off to Trent Richardson. He then quickly straightened it out and started throwing the ball so hard and accurate that the rookie receivers were dropping in shock that it was coming so hard. I bet that nobody ever said that about Colt McCoy. On that note, the Browns are now saying that they do not expect to trade Colt McCoy anytime soon and he will most likely serve as the number two quarterback. Reasoning being, in my opinion, which they will just not be able to find the value they are looking for to give up a good backup. This means that Seneca Wallace will be the number three. But for both his sake and mine, I really hope he gets traded. He believes he should be the starter and I can't blame him for that, but it means he isn't going to go out of his way to push Brandon Weeden to new heights.

In 2011, the Cleveland Browns had rookies start more games than any other team in the NFL. With the most recent additions, I would imagine it will be similar as the Browns rely on guys with little experience to lead them to victory. So how will each individual make an impact? Let's take a look.

Trent Richardson, HB (Round 1)

Trent Richardson will immediately start in the backfield for the Browns, but that doesn't mean everything will come easy to him. As a top 5 pick, many are expecting him to fill the shoes of guys like Jim Brown, or have the same expectation that a guy like Ernie Davis did. My expectations are just that he works out better than other top 5 busts that the Browns have made, like Courtney Brown, Tim Couch, Braylon Edwards, or Kellen Winslow.

Brandon Weeden, QB (Round 1)

After the first round, the Browns held a press conference in which Heckert and Shurmur both explained how they didn't draft Weeden to ride the bench. He will be thrown into the fire from day one, but if there is a guy who can live up to the hype, it's Brandon Weeden. His maturity at the position, his deadly accuracy, and his cannon for an arm will be a refreshing sight on Sundays. If you haven't seen it already, google "Brandon Weeden clay pigeons." It's gold.

Mitchell Swartz, RT (Round 2)

Mitchell who? Swartz floated under the radar as guys who were drafted on day two like Cordy Glenn received all of the attention. Swartz fits the Browns blocking scheme well and projects to be a solid starter at the right tackle position for a long time to come.

John Hughes, DT (Round 3)

Everyone thinks this pick is a reach, but at this point in the draft, busts are just as common, if not more, than starters in the league. John Hughes upside will be a great addition behind Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin on defense.

Travis Benjamin, WR (Round 4)

He's not going to be a star, but the speedy slot receiver could be the first step in the Browns curing their wide receiver problems.

James Michael Johnson, LB (Round 4)

This could be one of the Scott Fujita replacements. A late round steal in my opinion.

Ryan Miller, Guard, (Round 5)

Having depth on the offensive line is one of the most important things in the NFL. Miller will serve as a great backup and could even find himself in a starting role if Jason Pinkston or Shaun Lavao were to slip up or get hurt.

Emmanuel Acho, LB, (Round 6)

The other possible Scott Fujita replacement. Will probably play mostly on special teams this season.

Billy Winn, DE, (Round 6)

Defensive line depth.

Trevin Wade, CB (Round 7)

I would have preferred a CB sooner but this will work for now.

Brad Smelley, FB (Round 7)

Will most likely end up on the practice squad.

      Last Saturday news broke that Ravens star outside linebacker, Terrell Suggs was injured while either playing basketball or running a conditioning test. The specifics of how it happened still remain unclear as Suggs is telling the media different things than reports had initially said. The injury he suffered was a torn ACL. A torn ACL is one of the most devastating injuries in all of sports as it has kept players out of the lineup for an entire season. Suggs was initially expected to be out for the entire 2012 season, but it appears as if he may have suffered the injury early enough in the offseason so that he could recover in time for the second half of the regular season and the playoffs. While he is out he will be replaced by Courtney Upshaw, the Ravens top draft pick out of Alabama who played the same spot on defense in college as Suggs does for the Ravens.

       Browns outside linebacker Scott Fujita was one of four players to be suspended as part of the Saints bounty scandal that took place between the 2009-2011 seasons. Other players suspended include: Hargrove (8 games), Will Smith (4 games), and Vilma (16 games). Scott Fujita himself will be suspended 3 games for his own actions. It is still unclear as to what role Fujita played in the scandal, but it was obviously enough to warrant a suspension from the NFL. The NFLPA will appeal as the await evidence that will tell the truth behind everything. The Browns will most likely replace Fujita with inexperienced players like James Michael Johnson or Emmanuel Acho.  

It's never too early to grade teams on their performance in the draft. Nobody can say for sure who the real winners and losers are but we can take guesses anyways. So without any further nonsense, let's get to it.

Cincinnati Bengals C+

Round 1, pick 17: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

                This was about as big of a no-brainer pick as there could be. The Bengals lost Johnathon Joseph to free agency before last season. Then, during the season they lost Leon Hall to a torn ACL. They have been completely diminished at the position and are making the right move to fill it with their first selection.

Round 1, pick 27: Kevin Zeitler, Guard, Wisconsin

                Previously the Bengals had the 21^st overall pick but they traded it to the Patriots for some late rounds selections. In my opinion the slotting in the first round is much more important than stock piling late round picks. This was a great trade for New England but a questionable one at best in Cincy.

Round 2, pick 21: Devon Still, DT, Penn State

                I don't have much to say about the pick other than the fact that still was originally projected to go in the mid to late first round. It could be a steal in this spot if he turns into something good.

Round 3, pick 20: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

                I'm only noting this pick because of the story about Sanu being pranked by another Rutgers student into thinking that he was being taken in the first round by the Bengals, and then he gets picked in the 3^rd round... by the Bengals.

Baltimore Ravens   B

Round 2, pick 3: Courtney Upshaw, DE, Alabama

                The Ravens traded back out of the first round to allow Minnesota back into it so they could draft Harrison Smith. I don't mind the pick of Upshaw, but his short arms could hurt his ability to attack offensive linemen in the NFL.

Round 2, pick 28: Kelechi Osemele, OT, Iowa State

                Any time a team can add a body that is 6' 5", and 330 pounds they are doing something right. Size is everything in the NFL.

These teams did not have as strong as drafts as the Browns and the Steelers but they showed up and didn't make any franchise crippling decisions that would have set them back 5 years. That in itself should be a win.  

It's never too early to grade teams on their performance in the draft. Nobody can say for sure who the real winners and losers are but we can take guesses anyways. So without any further nonsense, let's get to it.

Pittsburgh Steelers   B+

Round 1, pick 25: David DeCastro, Guard, Stanford

                This pick was a complete home run for the boys in black and gold. DeCastro was expected to go in the top 15 picks and he fell all the way down to the Steelers without them having to trade up. Last year the Steelers used more offensive line combinations in the NFL this is one man who will start to bring some consistency to the table.

Round 2: Mike Adams, Tackle, The Ohio State University

                This pick will either be a grand slam home run, or a strike out with the bases loaded. Adams was originally expected to go in the top 20 picks but he started to fall after failing a drug test at the combine and lying to teams about his prior drug use. Adams was taken off the Steelers draft board but was put back on after he, "meant some agreements" with the Steelers front office.

Cleveland Browns A-

Round 1, pick 3: Trent Richardson, Running Back, Alabama

                Trent Richardson was arguably the best player on the draft outside of the two quarterbacks in Griffin and Luck. The Browns were going to make sure that they acquired that talent by trading up one spot with Minnesota to acquire the third overall pick in exchange for a late 4^th, 5^th, and 7^th round pick. I believe that Tampa Bay would have jumped the Browns if they did not make this move, but there are some skeptics who believe the Browns got played. My response to that, if Richardson proves to be the next great running back in franchise history then I'm pretty sure that nobody is going to miss a couple late round picks.

Round 1, pick 22: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State

                This was by far the most controversial pick in the first round of this year's draft. Weeden is 28 years old and he will be 29 by week 5 of the season.  In reality, Weeden would have been a top 5 pick if he was 22 like Luck and Griffin, but he isn't. I personally don't think that this will be a problem and here's why:

1 He already mature.

2 He's got a cannon for an arm and deadly accuracy, (go on YouTube and look up "Brandon Weeden clay pigeon"

3 Sure he may be able to only play for 10 years, but the Browns can't hold a quarterback over for 5 years let alone 10. If he lasts ten years I'd say it worked out pretty well.

Round 2, pick 37: Mitchell Swartz, OT, California

                I'll admit that this was a surprise of a pick but I can't say it was the wrong one. Swartz projects to be a starting right tackle in the league. I know they passed up on Cordy Glenn and Bobby Massie, but you know what, so did a lot of other teams so there must have been a real problem.

Both of these teams look as if they have had another outstanding draft, but only time will tell who the real winners are.