Baltimore Ravens Best pick--Christian Thompson Overall Impression--Ozzie Newsome’s infinite patience was rewarded, and he hoodwinked Minnesota for an extra pick and still got his man in Courtney Upshaw at #35 instead of #29. Upshaw fell because of concerns about weight and lack of a definable position, just like Adalius Thomas once upon a time. He worked out just fine and Upshaw is a more naturally nasty version of him. I also really like the Bernard Pierce pick in the 3rd round. He is a hard-nosed, aggressive runner that will lighten the load on Ray Rice and replace Ricky Williams. Kelechi Osemele figures to audition at guard first, but I’m not sold on him as a 2nd round pick with some other more definable OL talents still on the board. The middle round defensive backs are where Ozzie struck paydirt. Christian Thompson has great athletic measurables and explodes off game tape from the FCS HBCU circuit. He also has the added bonus of already being mentored by Ed Reed. Thompson was one of my five best sleepers in this draft and he went to the best possible situation to succeed. Corner Asa Jackson will likely have greater early impact as a return man, but he has the ability to become a starting corner. He could have gone 40 picks earlier. All the other draftees figure to spend 2012 on the practice squad, if the even make the team. Cincinnati Bengals Best pick--Marvin Jones Overall Impression--On paper this might be the best draft haul of any team in the league. The focus was on taking NFL-ready talent from successful BCS-level programs. Dre Kirkpatrick was the best-case scenario at #17, an instant starter at the curiously crowded corner position. They traded back with the other first round pick to get Kevin Zeitler, who I like a lot better at #27 than #21. He should start at one of the guard positions right away and fits what OL Coach Paul Alexander wants from his charges. Second round pick Devon Still was the #1 DT on my board, and nobody can give any sort of explanation why he wasn’t a first-round pick; he had one bad game, ironically against Zeitler in the week after the JoePa crap really hit the fan. The next five picks were all guys that I had penciled in a round earlier than the Bengals took them. The player that I think will wind up having the biggest impact is the last of that group, WR Marvin Jones. He fell down draft boards because he’s not a dynamic threat, but the Bengals don’t need that; they wanted a reliable possession receiver with great hands and a big catch radius, and that’s Jones. Mohamed Sanu is the same sort of receiver, so figure if the team bats .500 there they filled a huge need. I also thought 6th rounder George Iloka should have gone at least two rounds earlier, though on the Cincy roster is he quite redundant with Robert Sands and Taylor Mays as supersized, athletically freakish safeties with serious agility issues. One UDFA to watch is Western Kentucky CB Derrius Brooks. One to ignore is Vontaze Burfict. Cleveland Browns Best pick--Trent Richardson Overall Impression--I like the move to trade up one spot and secure Richardson, who has the strong potential to be every bit as impactful as Adrian Peterson or Emmitt Smith. He’s also a bone to the Dawg Pound faithful, whose faith has been sorely tested lately. I’m not crazy about Brandon Weeden at #22. That’s not a knock on Weeden, whom I think will be starting in Cleveland for the next eight years, but it’s unlikely he was going to get drafted until at least five picks later. They could have recouped some later picks by moving back and still snagged Weeden, though I won’t hold it against Mike Holmgren too much for making certain he got his man here too. Mitchell Schwartz will start at right tackle from the second he gets to Berea, and with Joe Thomas he gives the Browns one of the best run-blocking tackle tandems in the league. The rest of the draft left me wanting. For a team absolutely bereft of receiving talent outside of Greg Little, taking only lightweight speedster project Tommy Benjamin is almost inexcusable in a draft this deep with wideout talent. They did smartly address the other critical need, defensive line depth, though the players they took there both came too early. As one draftnik tweeted late Saturday, “This is a good time for the Browns to trade up and get John Hughes, except they took him yesterday.” I liked Hughes as a late-round sleeper but the third was too soon. Ryan Miller and James Michael-Johnson figure to make solid depth players with eventual starting potential, and Emmanuel Acho can stick for years as a reserve/special teamer. But judge this Browns draft in three years on Weeden and Richardson; if both aren’t above-average starters, none of the current regime will be around. Pittsburgh Steelers Best pick--Alameda Ta’Amu Overall Impression--This draft represents a return to what most Steelers fans like to think of as Steeler football. Taking David Decastro and Mike Adams with the first two picks is a bold coup. Decastro was the most NFL-ready guard in this draft and figured to be gone before Pittsburgh picked at #24. Adams has some off-field concerns that caused him to fall from the first round and his fire doesn’t always burn hot, but to get a potential franchise left tackle at the end of the second round is a risk worth taking. The moribund running game just got a lot better without taking a running back, though the RB they took in the 5th round brings a new and scary dimension. Chris Rainey is a Dexter McCluster/Darren Sproles kind of weapon. It might not pan out but the price was right to take a try. The Steelers got younger in the defensive front with massive NT Alameda Ta’Amu, a scheme-perfect fit at a position of dire need. He could have gone at least 25 picks earlier and the Steelers were wise to trade up and pounce. Sean Spence is short and light at linebacker but the Steelers were looking to get quicker at inside backer in passing situations, and he showed during Senior Bowl week he can cover backs and tight ends as well as any LB in this draft. Even if none of the other draftees make the team--and they very well might not--the Steelers pulled down an impressive haul that immediately makes a good team better.