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Every 2021 1st round draft pick in the AFC North

By Mitch Zoloty

Nov 14, 2020; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Northwestern Wildcats defensive back Greg Newsome II (2) breaks up the pass to Purdue Boilermakers tight end Payne Durham (87) in the game at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2020; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Northwestern Wildcats defensive back Greg Newsome II (2) breaks up the pass to Purdue Boilermakers tight end Payne Durham (87) in the game at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Browns
Jan 11, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Najee Harris (22) celebrates after beating the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

Many analytics guys were probably very angry at the Steelers for drafting a running back in the first round. However, if their goal is to win now, this was a good move for the franchise. Najee Harris is an explosive running back out of Alabama.

Alabama has been a running back factory, producing NFL studs like Derrick Henry and Mark Ingram. Look for Najee to be similar to those guys and less like other Alabama running backs like Trent Richardson.

Najee is an incredible athlete who is most certainly going to make second-level defenders miss if they don’t take good pursuit angles. Last season the Browns second-level defenders struggled to make open-field tackles at times, and Najee specializes in taking advantage of that weakness.

It was kind of surprising to see the Steelers not try to address their need on the interior of their offensive line with Maurkice Pouncey retiring, as usually in today’s NFL it is more beneficial to build your offensive line first and then draft a stud running back. However, teams like the Steelers who have been dominant for so long stay dominant by consistently taking the best player available.

If you’re a big fantasy player, Najee is going to be a very valuable asset in fantasy football next season. Look for him to really be the bell cow for the Steelers next season, especially with an aging Ben Roethlisberger who won’t be able to throw the ball as often as he used to and still stay fresh.

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