Ask Andrea: The AFC North Mailbag

It's a monster mailbag for this week, thanks to the official regular schedule release and the draft t-minus six days away and counting. Seven questions I believe is a mailbag record, so I might as well get right to the action and not make you wait any longer.

Well not too much longer: Remember, the AFC North Mailbag runs every Friday. Follow me on Twitter (easy-click button below) for my official call for submissions and to submit questions yourself. Hashtag it #AskAndrea and you'll be sure to get my attention.

I think that the thought of doing a sign-and-trade with Mike Wallace has crossed the Pittsburgh Steelers' mind, but when it comes down to it, I don't see the Steelers really entertaining the thought with too much seriousness.

Keeping Wallace around is their top priority for 2012 and beyond, and I think they'll really get going on contract negotiations whenever his holdout ends (the Steelers, generally, don't like to get into negotiations while the player is holding out).

They have 10 picks this year, enough to meet their needs. While a second this year and a fourth in the next could be good, they know what they have in Wallace is a first-round-equivalent talent and they'd rather have the known quantity on board rather than the unknowns a pair of draft picks represent.

You're right, Ehsan, that's not very AFC North-related, but I'll allow it, considering the division does play the NFC East this year.

I don't see the Dallas Cowboys faring very well against the AFC North this season, except for perhaps the Cleveland Browns.

I think this will be a down year for Dallas—losing fullback Tony Fiammetta and wide receiver Laurent Robinson is going to hurt Tony Romo far more than many think—and the defense is simply not reliable on a weekly basis.

The Bengals, Ravens and Steelers are all more consistently strong than the Cowboys, and especially this year. Again, it's not just the AFC North I see Dallas struggling with this season, I think it will be nearly the whole of their schedule. I say they go 1-3 against the North.

Brad, I think that linebacker or offensive line will be the way the Ravens go in the first round at No. 29 overall, though I think there is an outside chance they go with a receiver if there's one they love still on the board and they think they can get a good linebacker or guard in the second round.

I think the Ravens are also good candidates to either trade up in the first round or down to the early second depending upon who they are after. Dont'a Hightower would be a good fit, but I don't see him making it past the Steelers at 24; I honestly like Baltimore going after Peter Konz with this pick.

Some people think that Konz at 29 would be a reach, but he meets their biggest need this year—a starting guard—as well as one they'll have as early as next season—center. Cordy Glenn is also in their sights, but I don't see him still on the board at 29.

I'm saying Konz, followed by best-available linebacker and then best-available receiver (perhaps Stephen Hill) as the Ravens' most-likely first-round targets.

Wes, Matthew and Jerry here are all thinking along the same lines, too:

So please allow me to answer all three of your questions at one time. As far as the Browns not ending the year at fourth overall in the AFC North, it's hard to imagine anything else happening, even if they hit home runs with the majority of their 13 draft picks.

There's still the transition phase those players and the Browns as a whole will have to go through before everything comes together cohesively, and there's the fact that Cleveland has the third-toughest schedule in the NFL this year. Granted, that is based on the 2011 win-loss records of their 2012 opponents, and things can change drastically from one year to the next, but it's still going to be a tortuous schedule nonetheless.

I think the Browns can finish fourth this year, only if the Bengals slip. History says it's possible (they went 4-11 in 2008, 10-6 in 2009 and 4-12 in 2010) but this iteration of the team seems more solid and stable than the one with Carson Palmer at the helm.

However, even if the Browns do finish fourth, I see the distinct possibility of them having a better season than they did last year. It all starts with Trent Richardson; taking him fourth overall, in my estimation, guarantees them all-important touchdowns. From there, if they can shore up their receiving corps and offensive line and build depth on defense, they could really be a 9-7 team.

With Richardson and 12 other picks who fit and play well for the Browns, 9-7 and 8-8 could happen; if they mess this thing up, however, 4-12, 5-11 or 6-10 may be their fate.

I see the Bengals ending the year anywhere between 9-7 and 11-5. The Ravens won't do any worse than 10-6 and the same goes for the Steelers. In fact, I think the Ravens and Steelers could each go 12-4 or 13-3 this season, though the Ravens have the far tougher schedule.

Akiva, I think that a running back in the second round is a very real possibility for the Bengals. It really all depends on how they approach their two first-round picks. They could go three different ways with those two picks—receiver, cornerback, offensive line—and it's quite possible that whichever one they don't snag in round one they'd go after in round two.

However, there are some deeper, third-round gems on offensive line, so if they have their sights set on a running back that early on, they could go for it.

What the Bengals need in a running back this year is speed. It's already clear they are going with a running-back-by-committee approach to the ground game, and they have two powerful goal-and-third-down-style backs on the roster in BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Bernard Scott, which means the third has to be fast.

In the second round, they could go after Lamar Miller or Chris Polk. They fit that speedy mold and also have good pass-catching abilities. But I think the third round may be the more realistic spot for the Bengals to get their fast, change-of-pace back.

In round three, I like LaMichael James, Isaiah Pead or Robert Turbin to the Bengals. Again, they bring in that speed and versatility, and would complement the other two backs well.

Well, that's the mailbag for this week. Again, follow me on Twitter so you can get those questions to me. With the first round of the draft wrapped up by the next time we do this, you know there will be lots to talk about.

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