2010 NFL Free Agency and Draft: 10 Questions Facing the AFC North

The AFC North is one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL since it consistently sends what seems to be two teams into the playoffs year in and year out.

In this highly competitive division, three of the four teams have a tremendous amount of talent with the Cleveland Browns coming in last place, but don't be fooled because new President Mike Holmgren will change that very quickly.

The following are 10 questions (in no particular order) surrounding the division in the offseason between the start of the free agency period and the 2010 NFL Draft in April.

Who Will be the Cleveland Browns' Future Franchise Quarterback?

Derek Anderson is gone along with Brady Quinn and with the recent acquisitions of Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace, Holmgren seems to possibly have found his quarterback of the future in the 2010 draft class.

Who is it?

That's the $100 million dollar question and the reason Holmgren was hired.

It could be any of the quarterbacks that are entering, but look out, because Browns fans are slowly starting to turn to the thought of Tim Tebow as being their new savior.

Does Holmgren agree?

Tune in on draft day to find out.

What are the Steelers Going to do with Ben Regardless of the Outcome?

So no verdicts have been reached, but it needs to be noted that when players begin to have bad tendencies, the Steelers ship them off before it becomes a bother to the team.

Remember that Plaxico Burress was let go before he could become an issue in the locker room?

Now Big Ben is having troubles, and in a year without a salary cap, will the Steelers move on without him?

Do they draft a new future quarterback in April?

There are many questions surrounding Big Ben now, that may have very interesting answers sooner than later.

How Dangerous is the Ravens' Offense With Their New Wide Receivers?

The Ravens needed to get quarterback Joe Flacco some weapons at wide receiver, and they did just that.

Acquiring both Anquan Boldin and Donte' Stallworth raises that level of talent on this offense that already had Flacco and newly dangerous running threat Ray Rice already on board.

Look for the Ravens to score a ton of points in 2010.

Is Bryant a Better Addition at Receiver Than Owens For the Bengals?

Talk about going after two receivers that seem to always have drama surrounding them in Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens, but the Bengals love their castoff players.

They literally are a team of castoffs, but that same team won the AFC North in 2009 and look to uphold their title in 2010.

Owens may have brought too much drama to the team, but Bryant can flex his "diva" muscles too.

Bryant combined with Chad Ochocinco will undoubtedly be a very entertaining duo in 2010, but not as entertaining as Ochocinco and TO would have been.

Who Will Pick the Better Tight End in the Draft? Ravens or Bengals?

Both the Bengals and Ravens come out of the 2009 season knowing they needed to upgrade themselves in the realm of pass catchers, and both successfully did that at the receiver positions.

That still leaves the tight end spot open and both teams could fill those voids in the first round of the draft.

Who will get the better player is the question that may make or break who wins the division though.

Do the Steelers Need to Look For a Future Replacement For Troy Polamalu?

The Steelers safety is one of the most important players to his own respective defensive unit as there is in the NFL.

This was obvious in 2009 during all the games that he missed.

Now the Steelers are in a position in the first round to either go with an offensive lineman or a safety to learn from Polamalu and who could step in during injuries and eventually be a replacement in the future.

Both Texas safety Earl Thomas and Idaho guard Mike Iupati have been seen as projected picks on mocks across the Internet.

A very tough choice for the Steelers' front office.

Can the Browns Beat the Steelers Two Games in a Row?

In what was the turning point of the Browns' 2009 season and fortunes, they beat the Steelers on a very frigid Thursday night in Cleveland that started a four-game winning streak to close out the season.

It was the Browns' first victory against their longtime rivals since 2003.

Can a new front office and new additions to the roster keep the momentum going into the 2010 season?

Anything is possible with a team that is riding a four-game winning streak currently.

Can Three AFC North Teams Make it to the 2010 NFL Playoffs?

Unless some miracle happens in Cleveland, all three of the other teams could easily make it to the playoffs.

The only real thing holding back this speculation is that each of these teams must face each other twice a year and someone has to lose.

What is the Browns' Brass Planning to do With All of Their Draft Picks?

The Cleveland Browns' front office obviously wants to rebuild the team from the ground floor up, starting in the 2010 NFL Draft.

As of the trade that sent linebacker Kamerion Wimbley to the Raiders for a third-round pick the Browns have the following number of picks in this upcoming draft:

First Round - 1
Second Round - 1
Third Round - 3
Fourth Round - 1
Fifth Round - 4
Sixth Round - 2

The Browns hold a lot of cards and can either be a power player who can move up in the first round if they really want quarterback Sam Bradford, or they can infuse this roster with a ton of young talent by using all of these picks on rookies who can make an impact in 2010 and beyond.

Has the AFC North Officially Become a Passing Division?

The AFC North teams of the past have been notoriously known for being hard-nosed, grind it out, running attack football teams.

Now coming into 2010, and with the additions that have already been made, the Ravens, Steelers, and Bengals have all adapted to the idea that the NFL is a pass first league.

The Cleveland Browns are still rebuilding, but Holmgren will get them into a pass first team as well.

Even though there are still talented running backs in this division with the likes of Ray Rice, Cedric Bensen, Rashard Mendenhall, and Jerome Harrison, these teams are following the trend set by teams of the past few years.

The NFL is a league of the quarterback right now, and a quarterback has to be able to throw a football.