Ranking the AFC North DLs, Pre-NFL Draft Edition

It's hard to rank the defensive lines of the AFC North side by side. The Pittsburgh Steelers run a 3-4 defense, the Baltimore Ravens were a hybrid 3-4 last season and both the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns operate out of the 4-3.

As such, each team uses their defensive lines differently. But, they can be generically ranked simply based on how well they stop the run and how well they attack the quarterback. This is what I attempt to accomplish below.

1. Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals defensive line was the most successful in the division at stopping the run, ranking fifth overall last season, according to Football Outsiders. They allowed 104.7 rushing yards per game on average, good for the 10th-best figure in the NFL. They were also the second-best pass rushing line in the division, with 45 sacks to their name last year.

While the Bengals line underwent some changes this offseason, those changes shouldn't cause the line's overall production to dip.

Gone are defensive end Frostee Rucker and defensive tackle Jonathan Fanene, which means Michael Johnson will now start on the right end and Geno Atkins will be backed up by Nick Hayden, who spent last year as the No. 2 behind Domata Peko.

They brought in veteran ends Jamaal Anderson and Derrick Harvey, but both will serve as depth rather than as starting talent. The shakeup on the line could have negative effects this season, but as long as Johnson has a better year than he had in 2011 and Carlos Dunlap continues to lead the team in sacks, they should remain on top in the division.

2. Baltimore Ravens

Though the Baltimore Ravens allowed just 92.6 rushing yards per game and notched 48 sacks last season, their defensive link ranks just below the Bengals on this list simply because of the differing duties between a 3-4 and 4-3 line.

That's not to say that the Ravens don't field quite the tough line. Right defensive end Haloti Ngata is one of the best in the league at his position and still made an impact last year despite dealing with a thigh injury for most of the season.

The team lost starting left end Cory Redding to free agency, but his likely replacement Pernell McPhee had six sacks to his name in his rookie 2011 season and seems to possess the talent to take ownership of the position.

The only real question mark on their line this year is nose tackle Terrence Cody. His issues staying in shape and well-conditioned contributed to some inconsistency last season. He'll need to get that under control this year with more responsibilities likely being shifted from the linebackers to the line.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a 3-4 defensive configuration, but both their linebackers and defensive line made major contributions to their run-stopping abilities last season. They allowed an average of just 99.8 run yards per game to their opponents.

As a 3-4, their line doesn't contribute as much to the pass rush. It's hard to attribute the majority of their sacks last season to their three players up front, so it's hard to include that statistical measurement in these ranks.

This year is going to be quite a transition period for the Steelers defensive line.

Defensive end Aaron Smith is no longer with the team, backup nose tackle Chris Hoke retired and current starter Casey Hampton underwent ACL surgery and may miss a chunk of the season. Only 33-year-old defensive end Brett Keisel remains guaranteed a starting spot this year.

Ziggy Hood, who eventually took over for Smith in 2011, should continue to improve in 2012, but there's no guarantee he's a long-term solution. Last year's first-round pick, Cameron Heyward, will likely be Keisel's eventual replacement and should see extensive time in the rotation this year.

The main question mark is at nose tackle. The Steelers do have players on the roster who could take the starting job while Hampton recovers, but chances are they will try to find someone in the draft who is capable of being the starter.

The Steelers rely most heavily on their linebacking corps to do the defense's dirty work. But if they can't get their defensive line issues shored up this offseason, it might be quite the burden for the backers to bear.

4. Cleveland Browns

While the Cleveland Browns had a strong pass defense last year, that was primarily attributed to their secondary. Further, opponents ultimately didn't have to rely so heavily on the pass against Cleveland because it was extraordinarily easy to run the ball effectively.

Opponents averaged 147.4 rushing yards against the Browns last year, prompting them to revamp their defensive line this offseason. They released starting defensive end Jayme Mitchell and replaced him with Bengals free agent Frostee Rucker.

Though Rucker has been assured the starting position, it's clear the Browns aren't entirely convinced he's the right answer and have invited a number of top defensive end draft prospects to visit the team's facilities.

Two rookies brought onto the line last year—defensive end Jabaal Sheard and defensive tackle Phil Taylor—were impressive and were able to start all 16 games as a result. They should continue to be strong this year, but if last season was any indication, they clearly cannot do so alone.

There's no point to being effective stopping the pass if opponents can run at will. This will be a huge area on which the Browns will look to improve this offseason.

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