NFL Draft: Cincinnati Bengals Team Draft Retrospective

This article is part of a series that looks at each NFL team’s recent draft history with the hope of extracting information about the way they think and the players they value. The analysis is limited to the past five drafts in the interest of relevance, and the first three rounds because that’s where most impact players are taken.

This entry will focus on the Cincinnati Bengals.

Draft History

In the past five years, the Bengals have taken the following players in the early rounds. Their positions and the rounds in which they were drafted are listed next to their names.

2006:   Johnathan Joseph, CB (1)

            Andrew Whitworth, OT (2)

            Frostee Rucker, DE (3)

2007:   Leon Hall, CB (1)

            Kenny Irons, RB (2)

2008:   Keith Rivers, LB (1)

            Jerome Simpson, WR (2)

            Pat Sims, DT (3)

            Andre Caldwell, WR (3)

2009:   Andre Smith, OT (1)

           Rey Maualuga, LB (2)

            Michael Johnson, DE (3)

            Chase Coffman, TE (3)

2010:   Jermaine Gresham (1)

            Carlos Dunlap, DE (2)

            Jordan Shipley, WR (3)

            Brandon Ghee, CB (3)

Breakdown by Position

Here is the number of players the Bengals have drafted for each position:

Cornerback: 3

Defensive end: 3

Wide receiver: 3

Linebacker: 2

Offensive tackle: 2

Tight end: 2

Defensive tackle: 1

Running back: 1

Impact

Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall have blossomed into one of the best cornerback duos in the league. Andrew Whitworth is an excellent left tackle. Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga have helped form a strong linebacking corps.

Jermaine Gresham is very talented and looks like he could be one of the league’s better pass-catching tight ends for the next several years. Carlos Dunlap came on very strong at the end of 2010, giving Cincinnati a legitimate pass-rushing threat.

Trends

The Bengals seem to put a lot of stock in the cornerback position, taking Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall with their top picks in consecutive years. That decision has paid off handsomely, as both of them have lived up to the billing. Even with those two on the team, another corner was selected last year.

Defensive end has been emphasized as well, though the Bengals didn’t hit on those until their third try, snagging Carlos Dunlap last year. Receiver is the third position where they’ve taken three players, but the jury’s still out on those players.

The Bengals haven’t selected any interior offensive linemen or safeties over this span. These positions are generally considered to be of lesser value, but Cincinnati has obeyed this mantra more than most teams.

One last note is that the Bengals have selected in each of the first two rounds all five years. Clearly, they value their high picks enough not to part with them in exchange for veterans, and as a result, they’ve been able to consistently bring in talented young players.

2011 Outlook

After sweeping the very tough AFC North and coming away with the division title in 2009, the Bengals fell off steeply and finished dead last this past year. Although there was plenty of bad luck and injuries involved, the team continues to face an uphill battle this offseason.

Quarterback Carson Palmer wants out of town, and receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Whatever-His-Name-Is-These-Days are probably gone as well.

There’s a very good chance that they will use the fourth overall pick in the draft to land a blue chip offensive player. WR A.J. Green (Georgia) is widely agreed to be the best offensive player in the draft, and he would be tough to pass up for a team that will probably be remaking its receiving corps.

The one thing that can stand in the way of this selection is the all-important quarterback position. If Palmer has really played his last game as a Bengal, the team will need to think about drafting a replacement. There’s a pretty good chance that Blaine Gabbert (Missouri) will fall to them, so they have to decide if they like him enough to take him there.

If they’re not sold on Gabbert and go with Green, their high second-rounder could still give them a stab at Jake Locker (Washington) or Ryan Mallett (Arkansas). If not, they can still take someone like Christian Ponder (Florida State) or Andy Dalton (TCU).

Defensive end and running back are also needs, though the former was alleviated by the emergence of Carlos Dunlap.

One final consideration is the impending free agency of Johnathan Joseph. Obviously, they would love to bring Joseph back, but they need a contingency plan if he leaves. Given the value the franchise has placed on the cornerback position, it would be surprising if they didn’t take someone in at least the middle rounds.