AFC North rookies who'll have instant impacts for Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, Browns

The AFC North had a relatively good draft as a division. That’s why each team in this division could turn to a rookie to start this year. A team like the Cleveland Browns will rely heavily on rookie usage this season. The Pittsburgh Steelers on the other hand might not need rookies as much. Either way, thanks to a good draft by this division, it won’t be hard to see which rookies will have an impact in 2026. Here’s who could stand out ahead of the season. 

Baltimore Ravens: EDGE Zion Young

• Jesse Minter will find a way to use Zion Young
• Could be the future of this defensive line

Jesse Minter knows how to take young talent and turn them into beasts. He did it at Michigan and now with his first head coaching job, there’s no reason why Zion Young doesn’t develop into the perfect complement to Trey Hendrickson. He has a chance to start simply because this team needed to improve their pass rush and the Ravens reportedly wanted both Maxx Crosby and Hendrickson. 

Though they backed out of the Crosby deal, the fact that they were able to land a young, promising talent in Young means they’ll use this as a chance to build one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL. The offense is pretty much set so if any rookie—outside of Vega Ioane—is going to make enough of an impression to start out of the gate, it’s going to be on defense. It should be Young as the Ravens look to patch together this defensive line.

Cincinnati Bengals: EDGE Cashius Howell

• Drafted Round 2, Pick 41
• Could work into starting lineup opposite of Boye Mafe

With the Cincinnati Bengals’ problems on defense, they’ll take just about any help they can get. That’s why they spent their first two draft picks—three if you count swapping the No. 10 pick for Dexter Lawrence ahead of the draft—on adding depth. While I like the Tacario Davis pick, I think Howell has a better chance at starting than Davis for a couple of reasons. Cincinnati went after Howell because they might have whiffed on Shemar Stewart in the 2025 NFL Draft. If they don’t believe in Stewart, it would make sense that Howell has more potential to play and even start this year. 

Boye Mafe replaces Trey Hendrickson, but they’ll still need a complement to him and Howell is most likely to be that player. This defense will be under a microscope this year so the Bengals can’t afford to waste time with Stewart if he’s underperforming. DJ Turner and Dax Hill return to the cornerback room so Davis will have a bit of an uphill battle for the starting job. Connor Lew is a potential player to watch too. As far as who will start and have a shot at making an instant impact, Howell has to be the player to watch. 

Cleveland Browns: OL Parker Brailsford

• Part of Cleveland Browns overhaul on offensive line
• Has an outside chance to start depending on Elgton Jenkins’ health

I went a different route with the Cleveland Browns. Let’s be honest, Denzel Boston, KC Conception and Spencer Fano will all start Week 1, that’s how bad this team is. Because this team relied heavily on rookies last year, all three should have pivotal roles as this young offense has a chance to make another statement. Parker Brailsford could very well be another one of those players. 

Elgton Jenkins has some injury problems and struggled in Green Bay after a move to center. If some of those problems arise early and Brailsford makes a big enough impression this offseason, it’s not out of the question that two rookies start on this offensive line. The way I look at it, every spot on this offensive line is up for grabs. All the projected starters are new faces in this organization. Nothing is guaranteed, and with the Browns’ injury luck on the offensive line, Brailsford has a really good chance to make a strong enough impression for a starting job. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: WR Germie Bernard

• Second round pick out of Alabama
• Is a big play waiting to happen which is exactly what Pittsburgh needs

Germie Bernard had a breakout 2025 season with Alabama and became a top weapon despite all the preseason hype around Ryan Coleman-Williams. The Steelers absolutely killed it with this pick and they’re going to find out fairly quickly why he was a steal. Pittsburgh needs offensive weapons, which is why they went after Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason. Adding Bernard actually makes this offense a lot better than it has been. 

D.K. Metcalf is still the preferred weapon for Aaron Rodgers. But now instead of having Metcalf and a bunch of role players, the Steelers actually have a receiving room reminiscent of some of Pittsburgh’s better teams. Bernard will probably be a slot receiver for them early on. There’s no way they don’t find a way to get him on the field when they’ve needed real weapons for quite some time.

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