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How does each AFC North team look at running back, and what still needs to be done? Baltimore Ravens: Ray Rice is only 26, but he has taken a lot of hits. Although he put together a fantastic season, as usual, in 2012, he looked worn down late in ...

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have competition at running back and outside linebacker this year, although I believe rookies Le'Veon Bell and Jarvis Jones will win those jobs. The most wide-open battle in Pittsburgh is in the return game. The releas...

Everyone remembers that feeling on the first day of school. Rolling up in that brand-new collared shirt and the impossibly clean shoes. Not thinking, but knowing that, yeah, this is going to be my year. There was something reassuring about seeing eve...

We've already discussed the events that led to the Green Bay Packers giving up the opportunity to choose between Wisconsin running back Montee Ball and Alabama's Eddie Lacy. As you recall, the Packers traded down from No. 55 overall -- when both play...

The AFC North blog is continuing its rankings of each position for the next two weeks. This is a projection on how the group will fare this season. It's not an evaluation based on last year. For Tuesday, let's look at the running backs. 1. Baltimo...

The Bengals' Giovani Bernard and the Steelers' Le'Veon Bell were the top two running backs taken in the 2013 draft. But they aren't the top two rookie running backs this year in fantasy football. That's according to the 2013 ESPN fantasy football ran...

KC Joyner spotlights seven rookie running backs with the highest fantasy value for the 2013 NFL season, including Denver's Montee Ball and Green Bay's first-year duo of Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin.

Story | Conversation | May 03, 2013

The first post-draft chat not surprisingly had a lot of questions about the newest rookies in the AFC North. There was also a question about the most popular quarterback who has yet to find another job in the NFL. Here are some highlights from the ch...

Our annual draft analysis includes a category entitled "File it Away." I used it this year to discuss the Detroit Lions' failure to draft a receiver or an offensive tackle, but I want to follow up with a second scenario that could have more lasting i...

Now that the draft is over, the AFC North blog is getting back to its usual routine. The weekly column will be posted around noon today and the chat will kick off at 2 p.m. As always, it's time to start with the wake-up call ... RAVENS: Bryant McK...

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stopped short of tabbing first-round pick Jarvis Jones as a starter, saying he will have to compete for the outside linebacker job. "I think it's a daunting task for rookies to start in any system and play and perfo...

Let's break down the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2013 draft: FIRST-ROUND SPOTLIGHT: This is the second straight year when the Steelers' coveted prospect fell to them in the bottom half of the first round. Last year, it was guard David DeCastro. Last week...

The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals had the most successful drafts in the NFL. This isn't me saying it. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. gave three teams an 'A', and two of them were last season's playoff teams from this division. Take a bow, Ravens and ...

Christopher Harris offers his top 10 fantasy rookies for 2013, and profiles the top skill-position players from the final two days of the draft.

It was quite apparent that every team in the AFC North had a specific plan in this year's draft, and each one differed greatly. The defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens wanted to rebuild the defense, using their first four picks for that...

The St. Louis Rams had a long list of needs heading into the 2013 NFL draft. They have addressed most of them by selecting receiver Tavon Austin, linebacker Alec Ogletree, safety T.J. McDonald, receiver Stedman Bailey, center/guard Barrett Jones a...