Just like that, the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft has come and gone.
Once again, the four teams in the AFC North find themselves going about the team building process in the same way.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns all added defensive linemen in the first round, while the Baltimore Ravens stuck to their brand and added a versatile, play-making, high-IQ defensive back. The entire division got better on the defensive side of the football.
The Browns kicked off the draft in rather shocking fashion, moving off the No. 2 pick and passing on the chance to draft unicorn talent in Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter. They moved down to No. 5 overall in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the trade, the Browns sent No. 2, a fourth-round pick at No. 104 overall and a sixth-round pick at No. 200 to the Jaguars to acquire No. 5, No. 36 overall in the second round, a fourth-round pick at No. 126 overall and a 2026 first-round pick.
Jacksonville ultimately selected Hunter, and the Browns eventually landed Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham, shoring up the trenches next to Myles Garrett in the process.
Graham was a surprise pick, though. The Browns were reportedly still looking to move down, before sticking at No. 5 and picking the Michigan product.
The Michigan product brings good experience to Cleveland, having started 39 games in college. In those 39 games, Graham recorded 12 sacks and 76 pressures, serving as a game-wrecking defensive lineman for Michigan. He had five sacks in 2024 for the Wolverines.
In the scouting report of Graham for Steelers Depot, Efram Geller had this to say about Graham.
“With both outstanding tape and a well-rounded skillset, Mason Graham can play practically any role. His profile has few holes, and Graham still has room to develop further. Graham’s lack of overpowering size and explosiveness are the only things keeping him from being a Jalen Carter-esque prospect. Graham has a high floor with an All-pro upside.”
After seeing the Browns draft Graham at No. 5, the Bengals then followed suit in the trenches at No. 17 overall, landing Texas A&M EDGE Shemar Stewart. It gives the Bengals a potential answer opposite Trey Hendrickson, should they hold onto the NFL’s sacks leader in 2024.
Stewart has great traits, tested through the roof with a 9.99 Relative Athletic Score from Kent Lee Platte, and has great size and length. But he didn’t have much production in college and is a major projection rather than a sure thing off of the edge.
He’s 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds and runs a 4.59. He also jumped 40 inches in the vertical at the Combine. But he had just 1.5 sacks in 2024 at Texas A&M.
In the scouting report for Steelers Depot, Tom Mead wrote that Stewart can play in multiple schemes but is best served playing in an even-man front.
“He has youth and athleticism on his side, and he has plenty of room to improve. He can play in multiple schemes, but I think a one-gap scheme where he can use his quickness is best. His best fit is as an even-front defensive end, but with added bulk, he could play in an odd front. There is currently a first-round buzz for him, but that may be a little early.
“For a player comp I’ll give you Tanoh Kpassagnon. He was a late second-round pick with a similar build with plus athleticism and raw ability who also had balance questions.”
Then, after the Bengals went with Stewart, the Steelers landed Harmon at No. 21 overall, getting the guy they coveted all along and plugging a major hole in the trenches opposite Cam Heyward.
Following the selection of Harmon in Pittsburgh, the Ravens then landed Georgia safety Malaki Starks, creating quite a safety tandem with Kyle Hamilton moving forward.
In his career at Georgia, Starks finished with 197 tackles, six interceptions, 17 pass deflections, and six tackles for loss, including 77 tackles, one interception, three pass deflections, and four tackles for loss in 2024. He also played through a shoulder injury in 2023 and will turn 22 in November.
In the scouting report of Starks for Steelers Depot, Steven Pavelka had this to say about the Georgia product:
“Malaki Starks is potentially the best safety in this draft class. He shows consistency in every aspect of his game. That allows NFL general managers to be confident in drafting him because he has a safe floor. He’s good in coverage and has great ball skills to make some improbable catches. As a run defender, he is safe and reliable. All of this has been the case since Starks was in high school, which is the reason he was a five-star prospect in his 2022 class. However, I think the part drawing me most toward his game is how much of a vocal leader he appears to be on the field along with everything else.”
Following the selections in the first round, the Browns will be the first AFC North team on the clock Friday for Day 2. They have No. 33 overall to open the second round, before then picking again at No. 36 overall.
The Bengals will be on the clock at No. 49 overall, while the Ravens will pick at No. 59 overall in the second round. The Steelers will not be on the clock again until No. 83 overall in the third round.
