Welcome to our Division Depth Chart – AFC North IDP preview! Which AFC North IDP players should you target in your drafts? Read to find out!
Let’s take the four teams in the AFC North and create an IDP depth chart with Defensive Line, Linebacker, and Defensive Backs. The strength of the AFC North is the defensive line. There do not seem to be any weaknesses in any of the IDP positions for the AFC North. On to the division depth chart – AFC North IDP preview!
Defensive Line
DL Starters-
T.J. Watt – Pittsburgh Steelers
Watt has been a consistent disturbance of opposing offenses for seven seasons now. He has led the league in sacks and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. He has had only one season where he has not played at least 15 games. In those 6 seasons, Watt has averaged over 15 sacks, over 60 tackles, and over 16 tackles for a loss in each season. He is not slowing down as last season was his career high in tackles at 68 and second-best sack total with 19 recorded.
Myles Garrett – Cleveland Browns
Your defending Defensive Player of the Year has been terrorizing his opponents for seven seasons also. He has played at least 14 games in five of his seven seasons thus far, and each of his last four seasons. Garrett has averaged nearly one sack per game over the past four seasons. He has also posted 50 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 3 passes defended, and 3 forced fumbles per season over the last 4 seasons.
Sam Hubbard – Cincinnati Bengals
Hubbard has played 15 games or more in five of his six seasons to date. His sixth season had him record 13 games. This means he has only missed eight games in his six-year career so far. He has averaged over 63 tackles per season over the last five seasons which is top of rankings in Defensive Linemen. Hubbard also averages six sacks a season, so he is not a one-trick pony.
Justin Madubuike – Baltimore Ravens
Madubuike just had a career year in his fourth season in the league. He played all 17 games and posted career highs in tackles with 56, 12 tackles for a loss, an incredible 33 QB hits, and 13 sacks. The word on the street is he absolutely will have regression. He has improved in every category in each year of his career. Maybe a little regression, but don’t bank on it.
DL Backups-
Trey Hendrickson – Cincinnati Bengals
Hendrickson is a backup, as we do not know if or where he will play this season. He asked for a contract extension and if not done, has threatened retirement. Hendrickson just signed a two-year extension last year to have him a Bengal through 2025. He then delivered a career-high in sacks in his seventh year in the league with 17.5.
Alex Highsmith – Pittsburgh Steelers
Highsmith is listed as DL on MFL and has not missed a game in his four-year career. In his four years combined, Highsmith has delivered a very nice 242 tackles, 40 tackles for a loss, 59 QB hits, 29.5 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, 5 passes defended, 3 interceptions, and 1 TD.
B.J. Hill – Cincinnati Bengals
Hill is your lunchpail defensive lineman who keeps going and going. He typically plays 3/4ths of the defensive snaps and has produced 50 or more tackles in each of the past three seasons. Hill also gets more than four sacks a year.
DL Honorable Mention-
Jason Oweh – Baltimore Ravens with about half the snaps in 11 games, produced 23 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, and 5 sacks.
Kris Jenkins – Cincinnati Bengals is a 2nd-round pick out of Michigan and should be given ample opportunities to produce.
Za’Darius Smith – Cleveland Browns has double-digit sacks in 3 out of the last 4 seasons that he played.
Linebackers
LB Starters-
Roquan Smith – Baltimore Ravens
Smith is the poster boy for the #1 Linebacker in the NFL. 158 or more tackles in each of the last four years. He has missed one game in the last five years! The one game missed was the coaches’ decision in Week 17 last year. Smith has at least one interception in each season as a pro. He averages five passes defended a season in his career. He does not come off the field as evidenced by his snap count of nearly 100%.
Logan Wilson – Cincinnati Bengals
The third-round pick in 2020 has played more games in each of his four seasons. In accordance, his tackles, passes defended, and forced fumbles have gone up also. Wilson played all 17 games last year and missed just a handful of the defensive snaps. He recorded 135 tackles, 9 passes defended, and 4 interceptions. When healthy, he is a force to reckon with.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – Cleveland Browns
Owusu-Koramoah had a breakout second half of the season last year. His third season started no different than his first two seasons. The first eight games had him post 34 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass defended. His last eight games (he did not play in Week 17) showed him with 67 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, and 5 passes defended. He became the player the Browns thought they were getting when they drafted him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
LB Backups-
Patrick Queen – Pittsburgh Steelers
Queen was in the ideal situation last year with Smith beside him in Baltimore. After underwhelming for three seasons, Queen showed some life by posting a career-high in tackles with 133. There is not a Smith on the Steelers roster, so Queen will be asked to be the #1, and the track record is not good for that. The Steelers are the best-case scenario for Queen to break that trend.
Jordan Hicks – Cleveland Browns
Hicks just turned 32 years old but has produced in every situation he has been placed in. The Browns will be his fourth team in his upcoming tenth season. He has been named a captain for each team he has played for and produced triple-digit tackles in each of the last five seasons.
Germaine Pratt – Cincinnati Bengals
Pratt has grown each and every year throughout his five-year career. He played roughly 90% of the defensive snaps last year. Pratt posted career highs in 2023 with 118 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, and 2 sacks.
Honorable Mention
Trenton Simpson – Baltimore Ravens will get the first shot at the vacant Queen position. The third-rounder from the 2023 NFL Draft looks the part.
Payton Wilson – Pittsburgh Steelers has the perfect landing spot for the rookie who some say was the #1 LB in this class.
Defensive Backs
DB Starters-
Kyle Hamilton – Baltimore Ravens
Hamilton just completed his second year in the league and already has a combined 143 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 18 passes defended, 4 interceptions, and 1 TD. He is a contributor in all areas of the field. He’ll be a regular in these AFC North IDP preview articles for years to come.
Minkah Fitzpatrick – Pittsburgh Steelers
Fitzpatrick is the true enforcer on the field. He ended up missing seven games last season but had only missed three total games in the prior five seasons. Fitzpatrick is very consistent in his play and statistics each and every year as he has averaged over 85 tackles per season. On top of his consistent tackle numbers, he is a big play waiting to happen. Combined over his 6-year career, he has produced 4 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 50 passes defended, 19 interceptions, and 4 TDs.
DB Backups-
Grant Delpit – Cleveland Browns
Delpit has averaged almost six tackles per game in his short three-year career. He missed four games last year but only one game in his first two years in the league. Delpit has snagged 6 interceptions, forced 1 fumble, and has a fumble recovery in his career to date. His ceiling is 105 tackles, which he did in 2022.
Cam Taylor-Britt – Cincinnati Bengals
Taylor-Britt has played two seasons now and has posted almost 5 tackles per game, a pass defended in almost every game, and an interception in every 5 games. The problem is he has missed 12 games already in his short 2 year career.
Martin Emerson – Cleveland Browns
The third-round pick in 2022 has lived up to his draft status in a solid way. In his 2 seasons, he is averaging 60 tackles and 15 passes defended per season. Emerson secured 4 interceptions last season. His snap count has been increasing, as the coaching staff is liking what they are seeing, to 96% or more of the snaps in 8 games last season.
Honorable Mention-
Jordan Battle – Cincinnati Bengals posted 71 tackles in his rookie season, but there is a four-person battle for two spots. Hopefully, it is decided in early training camp between Battle, Geno Smith, Vonn Bell, and Daxton Hill
Greg Newsome – Cleveland Browns has an increase in tackles in each of his three seasons and posted his first two interceptions just last year.
Joey Porter Jr. – Pittsburgh Steelers started just 11 games last season and still posted 43 tackles, 10 passes defended, and an interception. Will he make the starters in next year’s AFC North IDP preview article? Time will tell!
Thank you for checking out my 2024 IDP Division Depth Chart – AFC North IDP preview! You can read all of my articles on my IDP Guys author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @OldMan_FF and @IDP_Plus (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber!
