Cincinnati Bengals Draft Picks: Results, Analysis and Grades
The Cincinnati Bengals hit the 2016 NFL draft in Chicago needing immediate help in several areas.
It's a change of pace for the Bengals, who in past years waltzed to the podium and freely took the best player available almost regardless of position.
So it goes, though, when a team loses important wideouts such as Marvin Jones, glue guys such as Leon Hall and Wallace Gilberry and has seen the age of its players sour a position such as defensive tackle.
This slideshow will chronicle each of Cincinnati's draft picks over the course of all seven rounds, analyzing and grading the selections immediately after the picks are announced.
Round 1, Pick 24: William Jackson III, CB, Houston
1 of 7Even with guys like Myles Jack still on the board, the Cincinnati Bengals did what they do best when it comes to defenders in the first round—took a cornerback.
Of the few defensive first-round picks by the team since 2009, it's been corner or bust for the Bengals. Now Houston's William Jackson III joins the fray.
Jackson is exactly what the Bengals love in a cornerback at 6'0" and 189 pounds. He's a great press-coverage prospect who makes incredible plays on the ball while it's in the air, hence his 23 pass breakups from last season alone.
As NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote, Jackson might need a year or so to develop into an every-down starter:
"Tall cornerbacks with length who can run and play the football are usually in high demand and that could be the case for Jackson as well. While he has the traits for the position, the league is turning into small and fast or big and strong at the receiver spot and handling those two elements could take a year or two for him to improve in before he becomes a full-time starter.
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Which is fine. The Bengals have Adam Jones, Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard holding down starting spots. This is a forward-looking pick ensuring one of the most important positions on the field remains a strength for years.
Grade: A
Round 2, Pick 55: Tyler Boyd, WR, Pittsburgh
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Like many predicted, the Bengals went ahead and grabbed a wideout in the second round with Pittsburgh's Tyler Boyd.
Given the need to replace both Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, Cincinnati didn't have much of a choice but to hit on the best wideout available with only Brandon LaFell added to the mix this offseason.
Boyd slotted where most projected. At 6'1" and 197 pounds, Boyd isn't beating many with his straight-line speed (4.58 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine), but he's got surefire hands and reliable routes—two traits that will mesh incredibly well with Andy Dalton.
These traits mean Boyd can succeed in the right environment. Even Zierlein labeled Boyd as the draft's most underrated wideout:
"Is Boyd even in this draft? I never hear anyone talk about him, and he should be getting more attention. Boyd was asked to be involved as a running back and with more of a catch-and-run role. His strong hands and ability to win the downfield 50-50 balls will help the team that takes him. He's not a workout warrior, but I love the way he battles and how physical he is. He's very reminiscent of Keenan Allen coming out of college.
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Cincinnati is a great fit for a player like Boyd, who won't get asked to act as the No. 1 with A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert around. As a rookie, Boyd can act as the guy who moves the chains in a pinch and make the occasional play downfield.
And while a great fit, one has to wonder if the Bengals reached a tad to hit need. With any luck, Boyd lives up to his immense upside.
Grade: B
Round 3, Pick 87: Nick Vigil, LB, Utah State
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Cincinnati threw a curve in the draft process in the third round, grabbing Utah State linebacker Nick Vigil.
Far from a household name, the biggest knock on Vigil is simple—he's only 6'2" and 239 pounds. At the pro level, it's 4-3 outside 'backer or bust.
The bad news ends there, though. Vigil is an instinctual monster who sniffs out running lanes with ease and uses great athleticism to move in a sideline-to-sideline capacity. A former running back, Vigil can also drop into coverage somewhat well if the situation calls for it.
More than anything, this is an odd pick for the Bengals based on the construction of the roster. The defense needed help in the trenches, and names like Andrew Billings were still on the board.
Instead, Cincinnati took a linebacker who might not contribute for years outside of special teams. And while he could slot into a versatile role as a hybrid player, the roster already has a wealth of guys who can do the same thing, such as Taylor Mays and Marquis Flowers.
In the scheme of this draft and the obvious roster needs, Vigil feels like a reach. Cincinnati knows what it's doing when it comes to linebackers, though, so it wouldn't be too much of a shock to see Vigil pan out well a couple of years down the line.
Grade: C
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Round 4, Pick 122: Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor
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Say hello to the steal of the 2016 NFL draft.
Viewed in some circles as a second-round pick or better, Billings is a rarity; he's just 21 years old but pops off the film with an exclamation mark thanks to his unorthodox speed and ability to dominate the point of the attack.
Nose tackles who can rush the passer or command multiple blockers in the running game just don't come around often, which is what makes the 6'1", 311-pound Baylor product so intriguing.
Especially in Cincinnati. There, he could slot in next to Geno Atkins immediately with Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson on the outside, a nightmare of an idea for opposing offensive lines.
PFF Draft provided just a sampling of what makes Billings such an attractive pick: "Andrew Billings generated 75 total pressures over [the] past two seasons, tied for the eighth-most for interior defenders in the NFL draft."
The biggest problem with Billings—and it's a rather large one—is nobody seems to know why he fell this far. Something might emerge sooner or later, but until it does, the Bengals have once again lived up to their reputation as superb value buyers.
Grade: A+
Round 5, Pick 161: Christian Westerman, OL, Arizona State
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Interior offensive line seemed on the menu for the Bengals at some point in the 2016 draft, though whether the prospect played center or guard remained a mystery.
A guy like Christian Westerman out of Arizona State can probably play either.
Westerman started out as a coveted Auburn recruit before injuries derailed his collegiate journey and saw him end things with Arizona State. He fits the Bengals mold quite well as a technically sound leverage workhorse at 6'3" and 298 pounds.
Rotoworld's Josh Norris is one of many in the media who initially projected Westerman as a guy who can start in the pros right out of the gates: "It would not be a surprise for a team to consider Westerman a plug-and-play starter. There’s a lot of talk around Joshua Garnett and Cody Whitehair. Don’t sleep on Westerman, who can latch on and occupy defenders with great strength."
For those who are hoping for a Russell Bodine replacement, Westerman might just be it in time, too—Zierlein compared the Arizona State product to elite center Alex Mack.
Things just got a whole lot more interesting at center this summer for the Bengals.
Grade: A
Round 6, Pick 199: Cody Core, WR, Ole Miss
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It was a badly kept secret the Bengals wanted to take another wideout in the 2016 class even after the addition of Boyd in the second round.
Cincinnati did so with No. 199 by grabbing Ole Miss' Cody Core, a 6'3" and 205-pound developmental wideout who has the ceiling of a base-package contributor with the proper coaching.
Core excels at going up and getting the ball at its highest point, though his hands looked spotty in college. Speaking of his collegiate career, Ole Miss wasn't exactly a place for receiving weapons to blossom unless their last name was Treadwell, yet Core showed plenty of big-play potential with his 17.4 yards per catch in 2015.
"He will really grow on you. He wants it. I didn't love the tape at first, but the more you work with him the more you see how he can become an NFL player," an NFL wide receivers coach told Zierlein.
Core is a quality pick here, as it's clear the Bengals don't agree with those who view defensive end as a major need. After losing Jones and Sanu, Core sits on the depth chart with guys like Mario Alford, scrapping for playing time while pushing those above them to produce.
Grade: B
Round 7, Pick 245: Clayton Fejedelem, S, Illinois
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To close the draft, the Bengals hit another notable position of need with Illinois' Clayton Fejedelem.
A good, high-effort and character player, he weighs in at 6'1" and 200 pounds with a reputation as a guy who can sniff out the run every down.
PFF Draft confirmed this with some numbers tallied via film: "Clayton Fejedelem recorded 49 defensive stops in 2015, more than any other S in this draft class."
Fejedelem fell this far down the board because in-the-box safeties continue to die out. Just look at the Bengals—George Iloka, Shawn Williams, Derron Smith and guys in recent history such as Reggie Nelson can act as interchangeable pieces between the two safety spots.
If Fejedelem can do what he does best, he has a shot at making the final roster as a special teams glue guy and a situational sub. There's no such thing as having too many quality defensive backs in today's NFL, which means Cincinnati found good value.
Grade: B
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