Bengals Draft Picks 2017: Results, Grades and Analysis for Each Selection

The Cincinnati Bengals face a critical juncture in the franchise's trajectory Thursday at the 2017 NFL draft.

The Bengals went from a perennial playoff contender to a six-win team in the span of one year, only to hemorrhage talent such as Andrew Whitworth, Kevin Zeitler and Rex Burkhead following the season.

But a silver lining for these Bengals exists. The team clutches 11 picks in what is widely hailed as an impressively deep class, especially at defensive back, pass-rusher and tight end—three areas the Bengals need to address.

Keep in mind, too, head coach Marvin Lewis and the front office have made their headway often in the later rounds of drafts with guys like Geno Atkins, Marvin Jones, George Iloka and Clint Boling coming in the fourth round or later. Eight of the team's 11 picks come on Day 3 this year.

Below, let's summarize and grade each Bengals selection this year as Lewis tries to push the championship window back open.

Round 1, Pick 9: John Ross, WR, Washington

The Bengals have lacked a speed element to their offense for years.

Even when A.J. Green was running with Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, the attack didn't have anyone who could stretch the defense vertically and make life easier on Andy Dalton.

That changes with John Ross.

Ross is, in a word, electric. He's 5'11" and 188 pounds of sheer athleticism in the same vein as DeSean Jackson. He chalked a 4.22-second 40-yard dash at the combine. The danger of his taking it to the house means defensive backs give him plenty of cushion. As a bonus, he's an instant-impact player on special teams as well thanks to his returning ability.

The big drawback with Ross is his medical history. But even such a knock doesn't hurt the grade much because if the Cincinnati medical staff gave him a green light and the team saw fit to make him the pick, then away they go.

Cincinnati, needing a spark on offense to open things up, seems to finally modernize a bit here with a player like Ross.

Grade: A

Round 2, Pick 48: Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma

Alonzo Adams/Associated Press

There it is.

Cincinnati often found itself linked to embattled Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon in the months leading up to the draft because Lewis and the organization—warranted or not—received a reputation as a group willing to overlook character flaws for the sake of value and talent.

And with Mixon, the flaws and talent are both huge.

Mixon punched a female student in 2014, and the Sooners banned him for a year; a video of the incident has recently gone public. He more recently received a one-game ban for an incident with a parking attendant.

On the field, Mixon was arguably the best running back prospect in the class. At 6'1" and 226 pounds, he showed on film he can glide or bang with the best while bursting through all three levels with a sort of ease not normally seen entering the NFL.

The consensus on Mixon as a player isn't hard to figure out. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares him to Le'Veon Bell and spoke with an NFC North scout who said the following: 

"

I'm not going to talk about any character issue because every team has to go through and make their own decisions. As a player, he can play all three downs but he's not going to create for himself like Fournette or Cook. But he can also have an impact on the passing game that they can't have. I see him as a top-40 player. Obviously, he won't go there.

"

At the end of the day, Lewis and the Cincinnati front office traded back and still couldn't escape the value that is Mixon. 

From a strictly on-field outlook, this is a slam dunk, A+ no questions asked. Mixon starts right away, shelving the ineffective Jeremy Hill and creating a nice tandem with Giovani Bernard. He'll have to work behind a line that suffered serious losses, but he's a three-down back who can make it happen.

But when bringing morals into the equation, not so much. Mixon is perhaps the biggest character risk in the draft. The brass in Cincinnati believe they can reel it in, and honestly, maybe it's the best place for Mixon because of the staff's experience with guys like Adam Jones and Vontaze Burfict, among others.

When formulating a grade, inherent risk has to come into the equation. Mixon is the biggest of all, and there's a reason other teams were willing to shun him. Cincinnati could have easily gone with a safe edge-rusher, defensive back or offensive lineman and picked up a running back later.

Alas, the Bengals have now tied themselves to the draft's most controversial prospect.

Grade: C

Round 3, Pick 73: Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Cincinnati hit two major needs over the team's first two picks, albeit with risks embedded in each (medical and character, respectively).

The team's third pick, Jordan Willis out of Kansas State, is more of a risk in the traditional sense of he has some serious growing to do in order to pan out at the pro level.

Which isn't to say he's a bad pick. Willis is a predictable speed-rusher who comes in at 6'4" and 255 pounds after posting elite numbers in the 40-yard dash (4.53 seconds), vertical jump (39 inches), three-cone drill (6.85 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.28).

According to Pro Football Focus, Willis produced a staggering 80 total pressures, yet crumbled a bit against better competition at the Senior Bowl. It speaks well to the transition he'll face at the pro level, where tackles will have the athleticism necessary to counter his outstanding burst off the snap and great swim move.

But in a nutshell, this is the sort of risk the Bengals need to take at defensive end. The team whiffed on Margus Hunt and Will Clarke. Willis is a better prospect right out of the gate and smaller than the team's normal preferred mold at end, which should allow him to challenge Michael Johnson for snaps right away.

Grade: B

Round 4, Pick 116: Carl Lawson, EDGE, Auburn

No shock here to see the Bengals double up on edge-rushers.

No shock to see them do it so well, either.

Auburn's Carl Lawson was the obvious pick here. Were it not for a shaky injury history (missed 2014 with a knee injury, six games in 2015 with hip issue), he probably would've been a no-brainer of a pick where the Bengals grabbed Willis in the last round as well.

Lawson is 6'2" and 261 pounds of sheer pass-rushing athleticism. He has great burst off the snap, but where Cincinnati will really love him is when the staff can kick him inside and let him rush the passer from the interior, something Willis can't do.

Doubling up on rushers like this is something a team does when a guy like Lawson falls. It's also what a team does when it whiffs so hard over the years on names such as Hunt and Clarke.

Lawson knocks guys like those off the roster and puts Johnson in jeopardy as well. Keep in mind the Bengals know a thing or two about finding value in the fourth round with linemen, as guys like Geno Atkins, Domata Peko and Andrew Billings all came off the board there.

Even if Lawson fails as a pro for whatever reason, the Bengals entered Saturday with eight Day 3 picks. Rolling the dice on Lawson was a necessity.

Grade: A

Round 4, Pick 128: Josh Malone, WR, Tennessee

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Clutching so many picks on Day 3, there was little chance the Bengals would ignore wideout the rest of the way.

Josh Malone is an interesting way for the Bengals to hit the spot again in this class. The 6'3", 208-pound Tennessee product didn't have an overly productive career, but his mix of size and speed hints at a better pro career than collegiate one.

Pro Football Focus' scouting report put it best, explaining how his raw set of critical intangibles seem ready for proper pro grooming:

"

He may not make an immediate impact, but he has the size, speed, and ball skills to add a vertical threat at the next level. There’s still work to be done to polish up other parts of his game, but at only 21 years old and armed with quality tools, Malone is an intriguing mid-round prospect who may develop into a full-time, productive receiver.

"

Malone isn't going to challenge for playing time as a rookie. But what he will do is give the Bengals an insurance policy and an option for life after Brandon LaFell. A.J. Green, Ross and a combination of Cody Core and Tyler Boyd will keep the top four slots on the depth chart for now, but adding another big boundary guy is a smart choice to balance things out.

Acting as an understudy behind Green, Malone has the raw intangibles necessary to have this pick looked back upon with a beaming smile.

Grade: B

Round 4, Pick 138: Ryan Glasgow, DT, Michigan

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The Bengals looped back to the defensive line with their final pick in the fourth round and grabbed Michigan defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow.

Unlike the fellow rookie class members drafted before him in Cincinnati, Glasgow doesn't do anything flashy.

Which is why the Cincinnati defensive staff probably loves him.

Glasgow is a run-stopping tackle and great rotational depth for a Bengals line in need of it after Peko's departure this offseason. He was a gritty leader for Michigan at the collegiate level but never showed any pass-rushing ability.

This isn't a terrible pick for the Bengals given the quantity of selections they have remaining. Remember, the Bengals consistently had one of the league's top defenses because of supreme rotational depth along the line. Glasgow enhances this with a high motor and defined role.

Grade: B

Round 5, Pick 153: Jake Elliott, K, Memphis

Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

It was a badly kept secret the Bengals were going to use one of their many picks on a kicker this year.

The pick not being Zane Gonzalez out of Arizona State is the shocker.

Instead, Cincinnati opted for Jake Elliott out of Memphis, a four-year starter with a highly efficient career if one chooses to ignore his sophomore season.

Elliott isn't a bad pick. He never missed an extra point (something Cincinnati managed to struggle with last year) and is a kickoff specialist. It's just odd to see him come off the board before a surefire stud like Gonzalez. A place like CBSSports.com has him pegged as a sixth- or seventh-round pick.

In the grand scheme of things, this doesn't end up mattering much given the number of picks the Bengals have. Elliott shouldn't have a hard time wining the kicker job this summer. But the value is off in a big way, and the Bengals probably could've gotten him in the sixth round.

Grade: D

Round 5, Pick 176: J.J. Dielman, C, Utah

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Offensive line seemed like a notable need for the Bengals at some point in the 2017 draft.

After losses such as Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler, it's a bit shocking to see the team wait until the fifth round to hit the spot, but it speaks to how much the Bengals trust young prospects such as Jake Fisher and Cedric Ogbuehi.

The Bengals will look to have the same trust in Utah offensive lineman J.J. Dielman.

Dielman is interesting because he played offensive tackle in college before filling in at center. He returned in 2016 instead of going pro and suffered a nasty lower leg injury that cut his campaign short.

Standing at 6'5" and 309 pounds with quality athleticism, the Bengals might see enough in this department to try him on the edge. If not, should he bulk up a bit, he can act as quality depth on the interior.

Either way, Dielman is the typical Cincinnati depth pick in that he can probably serve to reinforce multiple spots along the line.

Grade: B

Round 6, Pick 193: Jordan Evans, LB, Oklahoma

Brett Deering/Getty Images

Cincinnati looks mostly set at linebacker with Vontaze Burfict-Kevin Minter-Marquis Flowers and guys like Nick Vigil, Vincent Rey and Paul Dawson floating around on the depth chart. 

Still, it felt like a position the Bengals would hit because Lewis loves his linebackers and the Bengals have so many picks.

As such, Oklahoma's Jordan Evans was the guy at No. 193.

Evans is a smaller player at 6'2" and 233 pounds, but his outstanding athleticism, which he also put to use as a basketball player, makes him a candidate to stick on the roster thanks to his closing speed and ability to contribute on special teams.

In Cincinnati, Evans might be more of a hybrid player than he seems right now. The biggest knock is his lack of physicality, as he'll shy from tackles and struggle against the run. But he's great in coverage, so it wouldn't be a shock to see the coaching staff get creative with him if he makes the roster. 

Either way, a high-upside prospect thanks to sheer athleticism is a good roll of the dice this late in the proceedings.

Grade: B

Round 6, Pick 207: Brandon Wilson, DB, Houston

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Bengals saw something they liked with Houston defensive back Brandon Wilson and moved up to get him in the sixth round.

That something could vary—Wilson was a three-way player in college.

Wilson is a defensive back and running back, though where the Bengals plan to use him is hard to say. He could compete for a roster spot at safety or corner, especially seeing as his time at running back was short-lived, though effective.

Athleticism is the selling point with Wilson. He didn't overly flash as a defensive back, but he ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at his pro day and had a 41-inch vertical jump (pro day numbers are always friendly, but those numbers are huge). If the Bengals want him to make a full-time transition to running back, he's a 5'11", 200-pound project who will need a year or two to learn.

The Bengals knew all their picks wouldn't make the roster this year, so giving up some to get a three-way player makes sense. Wilson is an impact player on special teams to start, though the physical traits to contribute regularly are there.

Grade: B

Round 7, Pick 251: Mason Schreck, TE, Buffalo

Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

The Bengals decided to round out the draft class this year with Buffalo's Mason Schreck.

Schreck, primarily a blocking tight end, won't turn many heads as a weapon through the air. It's actually a nice fit for the Bengals as a contrast to the skills of guys like Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah on the back end of the depth chart.

It's hard to know if Schreck can end up making the roster, but he looks the part at 6'4" and 258 pounds. Maybe he develops as a weapon through the air, but some of the guys mentioned already have defined roles in that area.

As a camp body with upside, Schreck might have enough as a blocker to stick on the roster via the practice squad. The Bengals liked him enough to spend a pick to ensure they got him rather than bid against others in free agency, so expect the coaching staff to work with him.

Grade: C