NFL rookie grades, AFC North: Steelers add juice on defense; Bengals scoop up contributors

Round 1

• (No. 14) Broderick Jones, OL | 17 games/11 starts

Round 2

• (32) Joey Porter Jr., CB | 17 games/ 11 starts
• (49) Keeanu Benton, DL | 17 games/9 starts

Round 3

• (93) Darnell Washington, TE | 17 games/7 starts

Round 4

• (132) Nick Herbig, LB | 17 games/0 starts

Round 7

• (241) Cory Trice Jr., CB | 0 games/starts
• (251) Spencer Anderson, OL | 8 games/0 starts

Jones began the year backing up Dan Moore at left tackle, starting twice, and then stepped in on the right side when veteran Chuks Okorafor was benched for some comments that apparently irked coach Mike Tomlin. (Okorafor was recently released.) As expected, Jones was an athletic and feisty blocker for the Steelers down the stretch and should be a long-time starter at either tackle spot, depending on how the team approaches the offseason.

Porter was no legacy pick as the son of the famed Steelers pass rusher of the same name; the team saw great value sitting there with the first pick of the second round. After a few weeks, Porter became a starter, and he gave up just one touchdown the entire season, according to Next Gen Stats, earning a spot among Defensive Rookie of the Year finalists. I expect he’ll be joining his dad among the ranks of NFL Pro Bowlers in the near future.

Like Porter, Benton played in every contest, and his strength and athleticism were evident throughout. The selection of the hustling Herbig (three sacks) as a strong reserve gave the Steelers a trifecta of excellent rookies who immediately improved all three levels of defense. Washington was such a perfect fit for Pittsburgh; it’s no surprise that he logged a lot of snaps. He had just seven receptions on the year (61 yards) but it was his blocking that earned him a spot on the field in the team’s two-tight end sets; he earned the fourth-best pass-blocking grade on the team, per Pro Football Focus. 

Pittsburgh did not have many Day 3 picks after moving one of their fourth-rounders to select Jones in Round 1 and previously sending their fifth-round choice (to Seattle, for CB Ahkello Witherspoon) and sixth-round choice (to Denver, for edge Malik Reed) away for veterans who are no longer on the roster. Trice spent the season on injured reserve with a preseason knee injury. Anderson contributed on special teams units.

Round 1

• (No. 28) Myles Murphy, Edge | 17 games/0 starts

Round 2

• (60) DJ Turner II, CB | 17 games/12 starts

Round 3

• (95) Jordan Battle, S | 17 games/7 starts

Round 4

• (131) Charlie Jones, WR | 11 games/0 starts

Round 5

• (163) Chase Brown, RB | 12 games/0 starts

Round 6

• (206) Andrei Iosivas, WR | 16 games/1 start
• (217) Brad Robbins, P | 17 games

Round 7

• (246) D.J. Ivey, CB | 8 games/0 starts

With Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard in place, Murphy would not have been expected to start as a rookie. He earned more snaps as the season went on, though, ending the year with 20 tackles and three sacks. With Hubbard (28) and Hendrickson (29) on the older end of the spectrum, the Bengals would surely love for Murphy to continue his growth and develop into someone who could take the pass-rush reins at some point.

On the other hand, the Bengals needed both Day 2 picks to step into big roles right away, thanks to veteran departures in the secondary last offseason. Battle was thrown into the fire in the second half of the year and acquitted himself nicely, making plays against the run and pass. Turner’s athleticism was obvious, and he did not shy from contact, but the rookie gave up three touchdowns in the final four games and missed several tackles through the season, according to Pro Football Focus. He’ll need to clean things up in Year 2 to be an above-average NFL starter.

The three skill position players picked on Saturday were nice hits. Iosivas scored four times on 15 receptions. Brown fought through a hamstring injury early on, then played like the back who starred at Illinois while he was giving Joe Mixon a breather during the second half of the year. Jones did well as a punt returner, scoring once, and then caught six passes over the last month of the season. Robbins ranked near the bottom of the league in gross and net punt average, so it’s unclear if he’ll have the job again in 2024.

Round 1

• (No. 22) Zay Flowers, WR | 16 games/starts

Round 3

• (86) Trenton Simpson, LB | 15 games/0 starts

Round 4

• (124) Tavius Robinson, Edge | 17 games/1 start

Round 5

• (157) Kyu Blu Kelly, CB | 0 games/starts (1 game w/ GB; 5 w/ SEA; 2 w/ WAS)

Round 6

• (199) Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, OL | 0 games/starts

Round 7

• (229) Andrew Vorhees, OL | 0 games/starts

Notable Free Agent Signees

• Keaton Mitchell, RB | 8 games/2 starts

Flowers made an immediate impact working with MVP Lamar Jackson in Baltimore’s offense. The rookie led the team with 77 receptions for 858 receiving yards, excelling on all types of routes despite fighting off injuries. Jackson waited a long time for the team to add a reliable playmaker who could help him move the offense, and it appears the Ravens’ personnel evaluators finally came through.

Baltimore traded its second-round pick to Chicago for linebacker Roquan Smith in 2022, leaving one Day 3 selection in last year’s draft — which the team used to add Simpson. The former Clemson linebacker did not start any games, but he took advantage of playing time in the season finale, making seven stops, including two for loss, with a sack against the Steelers. He should be more of a presence in 2024.

Robinson was the only Saturday pick that contributed, seeing the field more regularly than Simpson as a reserve edge (26 tackles and a sack). Kelly was waived after training camp but played five games with Seattle, one with Green Bay and two with Washington. Aumavae-Laulu is a backup lineman who did not play in the regular season, and Vorhees spent the year on injured reserve trying to heal from a knee injury suffered at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

Mitchell spent the first portion of the year on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, then put up some eye-popping numbers in his eight appearances, including a 138-yard effort against Seattle in Week 9 and a per-carry mark of 8.4 yards. Unfortunately, a knee injury in December ended his season prematurely.

Round 3

• (No. 74) Cedric Tillman, WR | 14 games/3 starts
• (98) Siaki Ika, DL | 4 games/0 starts

Round 4

• (111) Dawand Jones, OL | 11 games/9 starts
• (126) Isaiah McGuire, DL | 4 games/1 start

Round 5

• (140) Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB | 8 games/3 starts
• (142) Cameron Mitchell, CB | 13 games/3 starts

Round 6

• (190) Luke Wypler, OL | 5 games/1 start

Notable Free Agent Signees

• Mohamoud Diabate, LB | 16 games/1 start
• Ronnie Hickman Jr., S | 10 games/4 starts
• Kahlef Hailassie, CB | 9 games/1 start

Cleveland did not possess a first-round pick (due to the trade for Deshaun Watson in 2022) or a second-round pick (which was sent to the Jets in exchange for Elijah Moore last March), and the 2023 return on those swaps was underwhelming. An injury to Watson’s throwing shoulder ended his season after six starts, while Moore averaged just 10.8 yards per catch.

Injuries also hit the Browns’ rookie class hard. The “C” grade is reflective of their overall lack of production, but I think most of them have promise if able to stay healthy in Year 2 for a team coming off a playoff berth.

Tillman fought a hip issue before coming on in the second half of the year to collect 19 passes in the final eight regular season games; he then missed the Browns’ playoff loss to the Texans with a concussion. Jones performed well in an emergency when Jack Conklin was lost for the year, looking like a future starting right tackle until suffering his own knee injury. DTR’s first career start, against the Ravens in Week 4, came on short notice and was, perhaps not surprisingly, rough (121 yards passing, zero TDs, three picks). Thompson-Robinson got another chance a few weeks later after Watson was lost for the year, and he flashed some playmaking skills in two starts, but he also took a big shot trying to extend a play against Denver and entered the concussion protocol. By the time he was cleared, Joe Flacco was already starting. A hip injury landed Thompson-Robinson on injured reserve.

The undrafted Hickman was Cleveland’s biggest rookie contributor on defense, stepping up down the stretch when injuries knocked out veterans Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill. In the final five games of the season, Hickman started four times, collecting 20 tackles and a pick-six against the Jets in Week 17.

Mitchell started three times but dealt with hamstring and shoulder maladies. Ika, McGuire and Wypler did not see the field much before December. McGuire took advantage of his playing time in the regular-season finale, though, making five stops with a sack against the Bengals. Wypler started that match-up for his first extensive action. Ika did not make a tackle over the last month after stepping in for the injured Maurice Hurst.