I agree with your top 3, but not your order. I know I'm biased, but I would put the Steelers' draft as the best if not simply due to how much value nearly every pick actually possessed.
DeCastro is notably better than Zeitler, by the way. Zeitler is just a 1st round guard. DeCastro is a rare talent. He's a master technician that demands the best of his teammates; not just his line, the entire offense. He could have been the highest drafted guard ever. It's incredibly fortunate that he was available, as a top 10 talent, at 24. For some, DeCastro and Zeitler will always be compared during their careers because of the Bengals' decision not to take him at 21.
Mike Adams has the ability and potential to be a 1st round talent left tackle. He would be a second consecutive steal if he pays off. Nobody singularly transformed an individual unit in this draft like the Steelers did with their offensive line, which was by far their weakness.
Sean Spence probably was not that great of a value in the 3rd round, but it was a pick that they were willing to take because he was a talent that they couldn't pass up and they still believed they could get their nose tackle in the next round. I think this pick may signal the beginning of a change in the way the Steelers envision their inside linebackers as a reflection of the advancement of the passing game. He could be the starter to replace Larry Foote in 2 or 3 years.
They traded up in round 4 to get Alameda Ta'amu, which many had as a mid-2nd round talent. I don't think anything else really needs to be said. He will be learning from one of the best defensive line coaches in the game as the protege of an excellent nose tackle that he grew up watching anyway. He's obviously the heir apparent, as early as 2013. The Steelers could have 4 starters from this draft two seasons from now with only 4 picks in the first 4 rounds.
Chris Rainey is an interesting talent that will be the wildcard in the offense and special teams. He's quite small, but plays bigger than his size. He can carry as a traditional back, but he's also an excellent receiver. He can return kicks and punts. He also blocked 6 kicks in college in 3 years. He could be a Dexter McCluster or Darren Sproles type player. He was also considered a steal in the 5th round.
I really like WR Toney Clemons as the 7th round pick. I liked Marvin McNutt (whom the Eagles got), but in hindsight, I actually like Clemons just as much. He has much more talent than he got a chance to show in college. He transferred from Michigan after two seasons and two different regimes where he never had a role there. Then he had to take a redshirt year due to his transfer. His last two seasons also had two different regimes, and he didn't really start putting it together until the 2nd half of his senior season. The Steelers consider themselves extremely lucky that they got him here. He's a tall receiver with 4.4 speed. He will be no better than a 5th receiver to start, so there's no pressure on him and he can just learn. But he could be the tall receiver Roethlisberger's been asking for since Burress left.
Even the Steelers' compensatory picks I like: TE David Paulson, CB Terrence Frederick, and G Kelvin Beachum. Paulson and Frederick have a real chance to make the roster as the 3rd/4th TE and 5th CB, respectively, though Beachum would have to beat out either Foster or Legursky for a roster spot. He'll likely be battling for a practice squad seat at best for now.
That said, I do really like the Bengals' draft, which was of course aided by the retarded Raiders. Yet they still got pretty good value. To be quite frank, I thought they actually did too much for their defensive line. This was arguably the last thing that they needed to address, and they could have gotten better players at other positions.
The Eagles did get Fletcher Cox, although they did have to trade up for him. Mychal Kendricks I thought higher of during the draft than after. He was a 2nd round talent, but a later one, I think. He's actually just about the same size as Sean Spence with just about the same skill set. I just didn't know about Spence beforehand and I'm glad the Steelers got him. It addresses a huge area of need though, which could be transformative for the Eagles' defense. Adding a weapon like Vinny Curry to establish a legitimate rotation on the defensive line also should not be undervalued. Nick Foles...I really have no idea about his potential to be an eventual starter, let alone an elite one that can win a super bowl, and he will have to battle for the backup spot. Boykin is good value late in the 4th round despite his height. I already said that I liked McNutt. The rest of their draft I don't think much of. Brandon Washington's stock fell for a reason, many are saying now, though I suppose the risk of a late 6th round pick is minimal.
The Patriots' draft is extremely top-heavy, and I also don't think their 2 1st round picks are without question marks. I like the safety that they drafted...not that much, though, but those are 3 big areas of need. The rest of the draft is pretty unremarkable. The only thing of note is the late flyer on Dennard.
