2012 NFL Draft: Keeping Up With The Rest Of The AFC North

(Editor's Note: This writeup was originally posted on Friday, April 27th after the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. With the final four rounds finishing up Saturday, April 28th, we've added the rest of the picks for the AFC North squads.)

When you follow a single team in the draft, you can lose sight of what the rest of the teams in the division are doing. In case you haven't noticed, the Bengals aren't the only ones who have made big strides to improve their football team. In a way, each AFC North squad has picked players that embody each franchise.

Click the jump to see the rundown of each AFC North squad's picks.

Cleveland Browns:

Pick 3, Trent Richardson, RB Alabama: The Browns take their franchise running back and one of the best players in the draft. They traded up one spot and gave up two picks to get him.

Pick 22, Brandon Weeden, QB Oklahoma State: It appears that the Colt McCoy era is over and the Browns have their quarterback of the future.

Pick 37, Mitchell Schwartz, T California: The Browns get a tackle to man the right side of their line.

Pick 87, John Hughes, DT Cincinnati: The Browns get a big defensive lineman to add to their already solid defense.

Pick 100, Travis Benjamin, WR Miami: The Browns get an outside threat and return man.

Pick 120, James-Michael Johnson, ILB Nevada: The Browns continue to solidify their front seven.

Pick 160, Ryan Miller, OG Colorado: The Browns get a huge, tough inside player for their line to replace the recently-relased Eric Steinbach.

Pick 204, Emmanuel Acho, OLB Texas: The Browns continue to build their solid defense. The sixth round was good value for Acho.

Pick 205, Billy Winn, DT Boise State: After focusing on the offense at the beginning of the draft the Browns continue to go defense.

Pick 245, Trevin Wade, CB Arizona: The Browns bring in a late pick to the secondary. Likely a special teams player.

Pick 247, Brad Smelley, TE Arkansas: The Browns get a new toy for Brandon Weeden to play with.

Pittsburgh Steelers:

Pick 24, David DeCastro, G Stanford: The Steelers break the hearts of Bengals fans and take the best guard in the draft. A great pick by Pittsburgh.

Pick 56, Mike Adams, T Ohio State: The Steelers again grab the best offensive lineman available and improve their line, which has had its fair share of problems over the years.

Pick 86, Sean Spence, LB Miami: The Steelers stay true to their draft strategy and take a linebacker. Spence will come in and bring youth to an aging defense.

Pick 104 (via trade with Redskins): Alameda Ta'Amu, DT Washington: The Steelers get a huge guy to anchor their 3-4 defensive scheme. He will replace Casey Hampton.

Pick 159, Chris Rainey, RB Florida: The black and gold get some needed speed and depth at the running back position. Rainey will also provide return ability.

Pick 231, Toney Clemons, WR Colorado: The Steelers bring in some depth at a position that is lacking it. After Hines Ward retired and the uncertainty around Mike Wallace's contract situation, they provide depth.

Pick 240, David Paulson, TE Oregon: The Steelers get a talented player to back up Heath Miller.

Pick 248, Kelvin Beachum, T SMU: The Steelers get their third offensive lineman of the draft.

Baltimore Ravens:

Pick 35, Courtney Upshaw, OLB Alabama: The Ravens get good value and pick a player that fits their system. He'll terrorize the division for years.

Pick 60, Kelechi Osemele, G Iowa State: The Ravens attempt to fill the void left by Ben Grubbs. Osemele is raw, but has high upside and will likely start right away.

Pick 84, Bernard Pierce, RB Temple: The Ravens get a replacement for Ricky Williams and a solid backup to Ray Rice. Pierce is a prototypical AFC North running back.

Pick 98, Gino Gradkowski, OG Delaware: The Ravens get the brother of Bengals quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. He can play center and guard.

Pick 130, Christian Thompson, FS South Carolina State: The Raves add to their deep secondary with a versatile player.

Pick 169, Asa Jackson, CB Cal Poly: The Ravens get a solid defensive player from a small school program.

Pick 198, Tommy Streeter, WR Miami: The Ravens get a speedy deep threat to replace Lee Evans. He's raw but a physical freak. He is a poor-man's Stephen Hill in the draft.

Pick 236, Deangelo Tyson, DE Georgia: The Ravens get another big body up front on defense.