Flash-forward: AFC North's offensive 2009 draft

By Scott Kacsmar
Cold, Hard Football Facts Minister of Offense

After starting in the NFC North, we switch gears to the AFC North in part two of our 2009 draft review. Warning: while this division has a reputation for hard-nose, ugly defensive-minded football, this draft review is also going to get very ugly as all four teams made many regrettable mistakes.
 
At least two of the teams – and no surprise which ones – came up with huge steals in the third round to salvage some respect. Many of our “Others” may as well be from the island on Lost, as their careers disappeared in a hurry; if they even got going at all.
 
Notes: Players listed in bold are still on the active roster of the team that drafted them. A player with his games played (GP) and games started (GS) listed in red has appeared in games for a team other than his draft team. “CarAV” refers to data from the Approximate Value system at Pro-Football-Reference.com. References to snap data credited to Pro Football Focus.
 

4. CLEVELAND BROWNS

Constantly trading down gets you nowhere

While it was the beginning of the short-lived Eric Mangini era in Cleveland, the results were more of the same. There were only two wide receivers drafted in the second round in 2009, and Cleveland picked both of them (Terry Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi). Neither caught on as the Browns tried to give their struggling quarterback Brady Quinn (first-round pick in 2007) some help.
 
Cleveland did beef up its offensive line for the second year in a row with a first-round selection. After taking tackle Joe Thomas in 2008, they opted for center Alex Mack with the 21st overall pick. With Buffalo also taking Eric Wood, it was the first time two centers went in the first round since 1983.
 
But if you come away with little more than a center, then that’s not a good draft.
 
The Browns traded away the fifth overall pick to the Jets, who went for Mark Sanchez. Then the Browns traded that pick to Tampa Bay, who went after Josh Freeman. They traded down one more time with Philadelphia, who picked Jeremy Maclin.
 
They even traded away Kellen Winslow Jr. to Tampa Bay for another second-round selection. After all this wheeling and dealing, the Browns have just three players left from their 2009 draft class, and only Mack is a reliable starter.
 
One has to question the strategy, as the Browns, who looked for receivers in the next round, could have went for Jeremy Maclin or Percy Harvin. In fact they could have had the early portion of Philadelphia’s draft (Maclin and LeSean McCoy). For as good as Thomas and Mack have been on the offensive line, they’re not going to make up for bad play at the skill positions, which is why Cleveland has been one of the worst offenses in the NFL.

The Class

Rnd	Pick	Player	Pos.	College	GP	GS	CarAV	2012 Team
1	21	Alex Mack	C	California	48	48	14	Cleveland
2	36	Brian Robiskie	WR	Ohio St.	31	14	3	Jacksonville
2	50	Mohamed Massaquoi	WR	Georgia	45	38	12	Cleveland
2	52	David Veikune	LB	Hawaii	14	0	1	None (CFL)
4	104	Kaluka Maiava	LB	USC	34	9	6	Cleveland
6	177	Don Carey	FS	Norfolk St.	20	10	0	Detroit
6	191	Coye Francies	CB	San Jose St.	8	0	0	Seattle
6	195	James Davis	RB	Clemson	9	0	1	None

 
Best Pick: C Alex Mack (1.21) – Who else could it be? While there was potential to take Mark Sanchez or Josh Freeman, the Browns remained loyal to Brady Quinn as he entered his third season, and traded down to get a center. Mack has started all 48 career games and made his first Pro Bowl in 2011, but center is one of the least valuable positions in the first round.
 
Worst Pick: WR Brian Robiskie (2.36) – The son of a wide receivers coach, this Ohio State receiver was one of the biggest busts of the round. He started just 14 games for Cleveland, catching 39 passes for 441 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Browns released him during the 2011 season, and Jacksonville snatched him up, but never activated him in any games.

The Others:

WR Mohamed Massaquoi (2.50) – After showing some promise as a rookie with 624 receiving yards, Massaquoi has seen his yardage totals drop each season, including just 384 yards in 2011. While you can never know how much the quarterback is to blame, Massaquoi has to be one of the worst receivers in modern NFL history when it comes to catch rate. He has caught just 101 of 243 targets (41.6%). Though he’s still expected to be a No. 2 WR behind Greg Little this year, and could have a better quarterback with rookie Brandon Weeden, do not expect any breakout season from Massaquoi.
 
LB David Veikune (2.52) – To complete the “tragic trio” of second-round picks, the Browns went with a linebacker who was born in Alaska and went to Hawaii in college. That fact is more interesting than any part of his NFL career. Veikune appeared in 10 games as a rookie, but played just 16 snaps on defense all season. He finished the year on injured reserve and failed to make the final roster cut in 2010. Denver signed him, but he would only play one snap there. Veikune now plays defensive end in the CFL.
 
LB Kaluka Maiava (4.104) – Just as the second wide receiver the Browns picked was a little better than the first, their second linebacker choice in 2009 was also better than the first. Maiava started 6 games in 2011 and had his best season. He gives the Browns depth, and maybe more importantly, he’s actually still on the active roster. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he is the nephew of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
 
FS Don Carey (6.177) – A shoulder injury ended Carey’s attempt at a roster spot in Cleveland. He was signed by Jacksonville, but spent 2009 on injured reserve. He started 10 games for the Jaguars in 2010, but struggled and was released. Detroit signed him last year for depth.
 
CB Coye Francies (6.191) – Played in 8 games for the Browns, but only had 32 snaps on defense. He did not play for any team in 2011, and is currently with Seattle.
 
RB James Davis (6.195) – In Cleveland, Davis carried the ball 13 times for just 24 yards (1.85 YPC). If that’s not bad enough, his 4 receptions gained 5 yards (1.25 YPC). None of his 17 touches gained a first down. He had better success with the Redskins in 2010, but did not play last year. NFL.com has him listed with Detroit, but he does not appear to be on any NFL roster.

3. CINCINNATI BENGALS

Solid but not spectacular

As the Bengals came off a 4-11-1 season, they had numerous holes to fill on both sides of the ball. They didn’t make a single draft-day trade, standing pat with their picks.
 
Their first target was a player that some would call typical of the Bengals. Andre Smith drew a lot of criticism throughout the draft process for his “sloppiness” in regards to being in shape.
 
Smith’s 40-yard dash video (see 0:42) was a bit of an internet sensation for all the wrong reasons. Their next pick, Rey Maualuga from USC, has his own video that went viral.
 
However, the on-field production from this class has been adequate, and the Bengals have managed to make the playoffs in two of the last three seasons.

The Class

Rnd	Pick	Player	Pos.	College	GP	GS	CarAV	2012 Team
1	6	Andre Smith	T	Alabama	27	19	9	Cincinnati
2	38	Rey Maualuga	LB	USC	44	43	20	Cincinnati
3	70	Michael Johnson	DE	Georgia Tech	48	15	11	Cincinnati
3	98	Chase Coffman	TE	Missouri	6	0	1	TampaBay
4	106	Jonathan Luigs	C	Arkansas	8	0	0	None
5	142	Kevin Huber	P	Cincinnati	48	0	0	Cincinnati
6	179	Morgan Trent	CB	Michigan	36	3	4	Washington
6	209	Bernard Scott	RB	Abilene Christian	45	3	9	Cincinnati
7	215	Fui Vakapuna	FB	BYU	0	0	0	NY Jets
7	249	ClintonMcDonald	DT	Memphis	23	1	4	Seattle
7	252	Freddie Brown	WR	Utah	0	0	0	None

 
Best Pick: LB Rey Maualuga (2.38) – This USC linebacker has been the most productive player of the class for Cincinnati, with 43 starts. In fact he’s been one of the most productive players of the second round. Only four players (one on defense) have a higher approximate value to this point. Maualuga could stand to show improvement off the field as well, as he faced assault charges earlier this year and could face suspension in 2012.
 
Worst Pick: TE Chase Coffman (3.98) – Son of former NFL tight end Paul Coffman, this generation’s Coffman was a John Mackey Award winner in college, which is given to the best tight end. However, Chase had just 3 catches for 30 yards with the Bengals. After ending his run on the team’s practice squad in 2011, he was released and is currently with Tampa Bay. The Giants chose TE Travis Beckum two picks after Coffman, and while not a smashing success, he has shown a little more than Coffman did.

The Others:

OT Andre Smith (1.6) – It’s hard to fault the Bengals for going after what was considered a top-five prospect. After holding out his rookie year, Smith went through broken foot injuries his first two seasons. In 2011, he stayed healthy and made 14 starts at right tackle in what was easily his best season. It may have been the breakout year he needed to start living up to the high pick. The comparison to be made here is Jacksonville taking tackle Eugene Monroe with the eight pick. While Monroe has had his struggles as well, some draft experts had him ranked higher than Smith after the combine and Pro Day workouts. The Bengals had their choice of either.
 
DE Michael Johnson (3.70) – The Bengals have got decent play out of Johnson the last three years, with him starting 10 games in 2010. He moved to a reserve role last season, but managed a career-high 6 sacks. He is expected to return to the starting lineup this year.
 
C Jonathan Luigs (4.106) – Had a successful college career at Arkansas and was considered to be a third-round prospect. He went early in the fourth round, but played in 8 games as a rookie, and only had 3 snaps on offense in his career. He is apparently done with his NFL career.
 
P Kevin Huber (5.142) – Take notes Jacksonville. If you are going to draft a punter, then at least wait until the fifth round or so to do it. That’s what Cincinnati did, and Huber has been the punter the last three seasons. He averages 43.3 yards per punt, and, well, that’s enough for punting stats today.
 
CB Morgan Trent (6.179) – Made one start in 30 appearances with Cincinnati. He was released during last season, and signed by the Colts. Jacksonville was his next destination, and he was just signed on June 2^nd by Washington.
 
RB Bernard Scott (6.209) – As the last pick of the sixth round, Scott gives the Bengals a decent option after Cedric Benson. He’s rushed for 1,000 yards in his career, and scored a big kick return touchdown against Pittsburgh as a rookie. He had a career-high 112 carries in 2011. While a lot of late-round running backs don’t work out, Scott was a good pick by the Bengals.
 
FB Fui Vakapuna (7.215) – This fullback has been around with many teams from the Bengals to Arizona to the Colts and now with the New York Jets. He has never played in a regular season game.
 
DT Clinton McDonald (7.249) – He played 59 snaps for the Bengals in 2010. McDonald was signed by Seattle for 2011, and played 436 quality snaps for Pete Carroll’s defense.
 
WR Freddie Brown (7.252) – After spending time on practice squads for Cincinnati and Minnesota, Brown never played in a regular season game and is currently a free agent.
 

2. BALTIMORE RAVENS

The truth about The Blind Side

Leigh Anne Tuohy can’t wear pants like Sandra Bullock, and Michael Oher is not that dominant at football. That’s the basic real-life knowledge you need to know before watching The Blind Side.
 
The Baltimore Ravens were more than motivated to cap off Oher's dream journey with a first-round selection in 2009. They traded a fifth-round pick to New England so that they could move up three spots to No. 23 to draft Oher.
 
But with his story titled “The Blind Side,” the truth is Oher has been placed at right tackle for 27 of his 48 starts. As a rookie, his worst games came when he tried to play left tackle, and his play has declined ever since. In the 2011 AFC championship at New England, he allowed a career-high seven pressures get to Joe Flacco.
 
While Oher may be a great story, the great steal for Baltimore came in the third round when they got Lardarius Webb with the 88th pick. One player may get more of the mainstream attention, but in the long-run it will be Webb having the superior career.

The Class

Rnd	Pick	Player	Pos.	College	GP	GS	CarAV	2012 Team
1	23	Michael Oher	OT	Mississippi	48	48	21	Baltimore
2	57	Paul Kruger	DE	Utah	36	1	4	Baltimore
3	88	Lardarius Webb	DB	Nicholls St.	45	19	15	Baltimore
5	137	Jason Phillips	LB	TCU	13	0	1	Carolina
5	149	Davon Drew	TE	East Carolina	0	0	0	Baltimore
6	185	Cedric Peerman	RB	Virginia	24	0	0	Cincinnati

 
Best Pick: CB Lardarius Webb (3.88) – While teams were making a third-round run on wide receivers, the Ravens picked up arguably the best corner in the draft. After showing promising coverage skills his first two years, Webb had a breakout year in 2011, starting 15 games. Quarterbacks had a 55.6 passer rating when throwing at Webb last season. In the playoffs, that number was 4.5, as he intercepted three passes. He has also scored a touchdown on both a punt return and kick return in his career. Look for Webb’s name to gain a lot more attention this season.
 
Worst Pick: DE/LB Paul Kruger (2.57) – The Ravens have had a difficult time finding a position for this pass rusher. He’s only started one game in his career, though he may be given a golden opportunity this season thanks to the offseason injury to Terrell Suggs. His snap count has grown from 176 as a rookie to 246 in 2010, and 371 last season. He had his most successful season as a situational pass rusher in 2011, but with a bigger workload, he’ll have to show he can play the run as well. The standard is high with Baltimore’s defense, and a second-round pick carries expectations. Kruger has his opportunity to meet those in 2012. It may be his last chance.

The Others:

OT Michael Oher (1.23) – So he’s not the franchise left tackle some expected him to be, but he has started all 48 games in his career.
 
LB Jason Phillips (5.137) – Primarily used on special teams, Phillips played just one snap on defense with Baltimore in 2010. He was released during the 2011 season and picked up by Carolina.
 
TE Davon Drew (5.149) – The Ravens have looked in several places for a successor to Todd Heap. Drew was not the answer. He has spent time on the practice squads for Baltimore and Miami. He is still listed on Baltimore’s active roster, but has yet to play in a regular season game.
 
RB Cedric Peerman (6.185) – A running back some thought to be a steal in the sixth round, Peerman failed to make final roster cuts in 2009. He never played for the Ravens. He has spent time with Cleveland, Detroit and Cincinnati. Peerman’s played in 24 games, and has 27 yards from scrimmage.

1. PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Steal of the draft saves Steelers

After their second Super Bowl win in four seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers went into the 2009 draft with expectations of building up their battered offensive line. Instead, they opted for youth on the defensive line, and picked Ziggy Hood with the last pick in the first round.
 
While much of their draft class has not worked out, there was a brilliant move made in the second round. Pittsburgh traded the last picks in rounds two and four (64th and 132nd) to Denver in exchange for two third-round picks (79 and 84th).
 
When you look at the players chosen 64 through 78, there wasn’t anyone the Steelers regret passing on. They may have botched the 79th pick (G Kraig Urbik), but they delivered the steal of the draft with Mike Wallace at 84th overall. With a run on wide receivers (five were taken in the six picks from 82nd to 87th), the Steelers got by far the best of the bunch.
 
Derrick Williams (Detroit), Brandon Tate (New England), Ramses Barden (NY Giants), and Patrick Turner (Miami) have combined for 58 receptions, 810 yards and 4 touchdowns. Only Barden is still with his draft team. Wallace alone has 171 receptions, 3,206 yards and 24 touchdowns.
 
Now if only the Steelers can retain Wallace long-term. Failure to do so would leave behind a very disappointing draft.

The Class

Rnd	Pick	Player	Pos.	College	GP	GS	CarAV	2012 Team
1	32	Evander Hood	DE	Missouri	48	23	13	Pittsburgh
3	79	Kraig Urbik	OG	Wisconsin	23	15	7	Buffalo
3	84	Mike Wallace	WR	Mississippi	48	34	27	Pittsburgh
3	96	Keenan Lewis	DB	Oregon St.	29	1	3	Pittsburgh
5	168	Joe Burnett	DB	Central Florida	15	0	1	None (CFL)
5	169	Frank Summers	RB	UNLV	2	1	0	San Diego
6	205	Ra'Shon Harris	DT	Oregon	2	0	0	Houston
7	226	A.Q. Shipley	C	Penn St.	0	0	0	Indianapolis
7	241	David Johnson	TE	Arkansas St.	47	24	6	Pittsburgh

 
Best Pick: WR Mike Wallace (3.84) – Possibly the fastest receiver in the league, Wallace is a big-play threat that was a perfect match for Ben Roethlisberger’s vertical passing attack. Wallace averages 18.7 yards per reception in his career, and already has 13 touchdown catches of 40+ yards, including a franchise-record 95-yard touchdown scored last season. He’s increased his number of routes each season and should be a focus of any defense’s gameplan. Wallace leads all receivers in the 2009 draft with 3,206 receiving yards, and his 24 touchdowns are tied for first with the Giants’ Hakeem Nicks.
 
Worst Pick: OG Kraig Urbik (3.79) – With the offensive line talent dwindling in round three, the Steelers drafted one of the higher-graded guard prospects. However, Urbik never impressed the coaching staff enough to play a single game on Pittsburgh’s porous offensive line. He failed to make the final roster cut in 2010, and was picked up by the Buffalo Bills where he has made 15 career starts (13 in 2011). After providing steady pass protection for Ryan Fitzpatrick last season (mostly at right guard), one has to wonder if the Steelers threw in the towel too fast on Urbik. Either way, they didn’t get any value out of the pick.

The Others:

DE Evander “Ziggy” Hood (1.32) – Thought to be a sign of the Steelers changing to a 4-3, Hood has been playing the end in the 3-4 thanks to a multitude of injuries to Aaron Smith. After showing flashes in his rookie season, Hood has been very quiet in a starting role the last two seasons. He was the lowest graded 3-4 DE in Pro Football Focus’ 2011 ratings (next to last in 2010). Improvement must be shown or else Hood will put a dent in GM Kevin Colbert’s pristine first-round resume.
 
CB Keenan Lewis (3.96) – In a secondary that has struggled to find good corner play, Lewis has rarely been given the opportunity to knock players like William Gay and Bryant McFadden out of heavy playing time. Limited to special teams his rookie year, and 43 snaps in 2010, Lewis finally got on the field more in 2011 and made his first career interception to put away the Chiefs. With Gay and McFadden gone, Lewis could become a starter opposite Ike Taylor in 2012.
 
CB Joe Burnett (5.168) – In the Steelers’ pursuit of trying to find a corner, Burnett played 15 games in 2009, but only 44 defensive snaps. He may be best remembered – if he’s to be remembered at all – for dropping a game-ending interception against the Oakland Raiders. Three plays later the Raiders scored the game-winning touchdown. Burnett is now playing in the CFL.
 
FB Frank Summers (5.169) – Nicknamed “Frank the Tank”, he made two early-season appearances with the Steelers before ending his season on injured reserve. Without much use for a fullback in Bruce Arians’ offense, Summers missed the final cut in 2010. He is now with San Diego.
 
DT Ra’Shon Harris (6.205) – It’s safe to say Harris gets around. After not making the 53-man roster as a rookie, he played two games for the Panthers before being waived again. He has also been in Buffalo, and has had three stints with the Steelers, but has never played in the regular season for them. He’s currently with Houston.
 
C A.Q. Shipley (7.226) – Spent his rookie year on Pittsburgh’s practice squad before doing the same with Philadelphia. Now with the Colts.
 
TE David Johnson (7.241) – Johnson has spent his time with the Steelers primarily as a blocking tight end, and is moving to fullback for 2012. He provides good depth in a draft that did not provide much for the Steelers.

SUMMARY

Team	Pittsburgh	Baltimore	Cincinnati	Cleveland
Players	9	6	11	8
Still on team	4	4	5	3
Total GP	214	166	285	209
Total GS	98	68	84	119
Total CarAV	57	41	58	37

 
Other than putting Cleveland last, it is a real coin flip in trying to rank the other three teams.
 
Cincinnati– Smith is a tackle that’s recently started to contribute. Maualuga and Johnson have been decent contributors. Then they have their punter and backup running back.
 
Baltimore – Oher has started every game at tackle, but isn’t a great player. Webb is a recent starter that’s been great. Kruger has the potential to start in 202.
 
Pittsburgh – Wallace is the best player the AFC North drafted, which gives the Steelers a big boost. Hood is in the Smith/Oher group of “starter that needs to improve.” Johnson is a backup TE/fullback, and Keenan Lewis is in Kruger’s position of having the potential to start in 2012.
 
Like we said…flip a coin.
 
Up next: headed South to the division that holds 2009’s Super Bowl winner. Did New Orleans get any rookie contributions on their way to XLIV?
 
Scott Kacsmar is a football writer/researcher who has contributed large quantities of data to Pro-Football-Reference.com, including the only standardized database of fourth quarter comebacks and game-winning drives. He hopes to see many years of Webb-on-Wallace action in the AFC North. You can send any questions or comments to Scott at smk_42@yahoo.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @CaptainComeback.

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Read more: 2009 NFL Draft, AFC North, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Mike Wallace, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, The Blind Side