AFC North Mock Draft: Bengals select Georgia tackle, Steelers get CB, Ravens add electric WR

The AFC North was the most competitive division in the NFL in 2023.  That won’t change in 2024.  In fact, all 4 teams in the division are ramping up their rosters even better, especially through the first wave of NFL free agency.  Now the teams setting their attention on filling holds and adding depth through the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.

With Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens looking to repeat as division champions, the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers will make that goal a tough one to achieve for the team that came up short against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. 

The simple fact that a healthy Joe Burrow will be back with the Bengals is competition enough, but the Browns adding another weapon in Jerry Jeudy and the Steelers adding both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields makes the AFC North even more competitive in 2024 and one of the most talked about divisions.

So, what will each team do in the first round of the NFL draft?

2024 NFL Mock Draft: AFC North teams get bigger and faster on Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft

With the Browns not having a first round selection, this division focused mock draft looks at what the Bengals, Steelers and Ravens will do at the middle to late part of the draft.

Yes, the Bengals did just sign free agent tackle Trent Brown to a one-year deal, but the former New England Patriots offensive lineman has proven to be unreliable through his NFL career.  Perhaps protecting Joe Burrow and playing with a team like the Bengals will re-energize him, but don’t count on it and the Bengals won’t by selecting Georgia tackle Amarius Mims with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

While the combination of Brown and Orlando Brown Jr as the starting tackles gives the Bengals massive bookend tackles, the team will prepare for the future by adding the 6-foot-8, 340-pound Mims to the rotation of tackles.  With his aggressive style of play and upside, Mims will eventually leap over Trent Brown as the starter.  The Bengals can afford to fill other needs at No. 18, but protecting Burrow is the team’s No. 1 focus with this selection.

The Steelers use the No. 20 overall pick to select outstanding Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.  With the success the team has had finding receivers later in the draft, going with Mitchell here gives Mike Tomlin another defensive stud who will be able to come in right away and add more speed to the defense.

With a 40-yard dash time of 4.33 seconds at the NFL Combine, Mitchell has the speed to recover quickly in pass coverage and plays with a physical style that should fit in nicely with the Steelers style of play.  Like the Bengals, the Steelers could go in another direction with the No. 20 overall pick, but an opportunity to select one of the top corners will be there and the Steelers will jump on it.  A young tandem of Joey Porter Jr and Mitchell isn’t too shabby at all.

The Ravens added big, bruising running back Derrick Henry in free agency to go along with tight ends Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and wide receivers Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor.  So why not add another burner to the mix?

With the No. 30 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Ravens will get more potent offensively in adding Adonai Mitchell from the University of Texas.  Like Flowers, the former Longhorns star will benefit from Lamar Jackson’s ability to prolong plays by manipulating the pocket. 

Along with his foot quickness and catch radius, Mitchell’s combination of size and speed will push Bateman for that No. 2 receiver role, assuming Flowers will claim WR1 in 2024.  At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Mitchell is a bigger receiver who will make the Ravens offense difficult to defend.