Looking Back to the Present: Grading the Bengals' 2006 Draft

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No. 6: Reggie McNeal WR/QB:

The Bengals took a chance on converting McNeal to WR, hoping maybe to run some gadget plays with him. McNeal contemplated not signing a contract, then came to camp flashing attitude and never developed into much. It wasn’t a bad experiment for a sixth-round pick, but McNeal was totally the wrong guy.

Grade: D   GPA: 2.33

No. 7a: Ethan Kilmer S:

Kilmer flashed his rookie season, highlighted by returning his first NFL interception for a touchdown to sink the Saints. He’s a solid special teamer, but he hasn’t developed into much else due to injuries. Still, for what they got, Kilmer was a find in the seventh round.

Grade: B    GPA: 2.42

No. 7b: Bennie Brazell WR:

Brazell had blazing speed and showed a lot of promise at WR. But he kept getting hurt and just couldn’t get on the field. This could have been a steal if he’d stayed healthy.

Grade: C  GPA: 2.38

No. 3 (Supplemental) Ahmad Brooks LB:

In the Bengals’ defense, they knew they were losing Odell Thurman for an extended period of time, and they had to do something. So they took a chance on the troubled kid from Virginia.

It worked out only a little better than Thurman. Brooks played one season for the Bengals in which he played inconsistently.

He lost his job the next season and was off the roster the year after. For a third-round pick, this was a disaster that was mitigated only by the need created by Thurman’s off-field issues.

Grade: D      GPA: 2.22

So the Bengals finished with a 2.22 GPA, good enough for a C. Whitworth has been a stud, Joseph and Peko have been solid contributors.

The rest struggled to offer much. If a C is average, you can’t throw too many stones at the Bengals.

They did okay. But they need to do much better if they’re going to turn things around. Succeeding classes need to be in the A and B range.

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