The AFC North is one of the best divisions in football. Let's power rank it ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. The division always brings tough and rugged football, and there are a ton of rivalries within this division.
In 2024, the Baltimore Ravens won the division, as their three divisional foes all battled with major issues. We'll see if the Steelers, Bengals, and Browns can figure something out as we slowly approach the 2025 NFL Season.
As we get closer to the 2025 NFL Draft, let's power rank the division.d
NFL Power Rankings: Ranking the rugged AFC North approaching NFL Draft
4. Cleveland Browns
It's hard to find something for the Cleveland Browns to hang their hats on at the moment, but they do have the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Abdul Carter seems to be on the menu for the Browns, but who plays QB for them in 2025? If I had to guess, it would be Kirk Cousins, who could reunite with Kevin Stefanski.
Overall, it is going to take quite a bit of work from GM Andrew Berry to fix the mess from the Deshaun Watson trade. Right now, they are on pace to again be quite bad in 2025 and come in last in our power rankings.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are running out of quarterback options for the 2025 NFL Season. Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are on new teams, and we have no idea what Aaron Rodgers is going to do. Pittsburgh might be best off grabbing a rookie QB in the 2025 NFL Draft and starting him, acknowledging that he'll have to take his lumps.
Until Pittsburgh figures out a long-term QB situation, they simply won't be a contender in the deep AFC. They went 10-7 in the regular season but lost their last five games, including their Wild Card loss. Pittsburgh is third in our AFC North power rankings.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
It almost feels like the Cincinnati Bengals are second in the AFC North by default. The Browns are a mess and the Steelers don't have a QB - yet the Steelers have the better roster than Cincy outside of the QB if that makes sense. The Bengals again got out to a slow start to open up the season and won five games in a row to end 2024.
They finished 9-8 and did not make the playoffs, wasting an MVP-caliber year from Joe Burrow. It is flat-out insane that an NFL team won five games in a row in a 17-game season and did not make the playoffs.
The Bengals did re-sign Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, but their defense and interior offensive line are both still a giant mess. They are by default the second-best team in the AFC North approaching the 2025 NFL Draft.
1. Baltimore Ravens
Can the Baltimore Ravens win the division yet again in 2025? If you ask me and many others, Lamar Jackson should have won the MVP award in 2024, but it somehow went to Josh Allen. Baltimore did lose to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs and have again failed to get over the hump, having not won multiple games in the postseason since 2012.
The Ravens are the clear-cut best team in the division approaching the 2025 NFL Draft, and this may actually be one of the weaker versions of the AFC North that we have seen in quite some time. Unless something major happens, the Ravens should win the division in the 2025 NFL Season.
They are first in our AFC North power rankings.