Draft history

[combatbengal]

What are your opinions on our previous drafts?

What was the best draft year fro the Bengals?

I'd say 2001. We got Justin Smith, Chad, Rudi, and TJ.

What was the most draft year disappointment?

I'd say 2005. Pollack, not playing, Thurman, not playing, Henry just got back, Tab Perry, not playing, Fanene, not playing!

What was our best number one pick?

My guess is either Palmer, Big Willie, or Anthony Munoz

What was our worse number one pick?

My guess Akili Smith,

[scxeezy]

What are your opinions on our previous drafts?

What was the best draft year fro the Bengals?

2001, I agree

What was the most draft year disappointment?

2005, I agree (but I thought I saw Fanene playing Sunday)

What was our best number one pick?

Palmer, then Munoz, then Willie

What was our worse number one pick?

Ki-Jana Carter, then Big Daddy, then Akili, then Klingler, then...

[WhoDey93285]

Fanene forced and recovered a fumble Sunday. Or maybe it just slipped out of McNair's hand, but he definately recovered it.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

There are a lot of ways to measure the worst #1. Looking at overall output is easy - that would probably make it KiJana - but that was an injury, so that's too easy. To me, the dumbest pick is the one you should have seen coming. For that, it's tough to decide between Akili and Klingler, because they're very similar. Both were systems QBs, which should have raised red flags (run and shoot for Klingler, Tedford for Smith). But it should have been more obvious with Klingler - Ware had just won the Heisman in that system and wasn't exactly looking like a stud. When his replacement comes in and has basically the same results, that's generally not a good sign for either of them (though Carson Palmer would be an exception).

So which decision was worse? I'm tempted to say Klingler because he came from a run and shoot system, while Tedford is at least pro-style. That said, 1992 was the run-and-shoot's heyday, so it's a little easier with hindsight. Still, the Bengals didn't use the run-and-shoot, and drafting a QB from a gimmicky system that you don't run probably isn't a good idea (how's that working Alex Smith?).

So I vote Klingler as worst #1 overall in a narrow margin.

For best, I go Munoz, Palmer in that order. I believe that Munoz was the best tackle around when he played, and one could argue that tackle is as important as QB. Palmer's extremely good, but he's not quite at the level of the all-time greats like Munoz was.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

There are a lot of ways to measure the worst #1. Looking at overall output is easy - that would probably make it KiJana - but that was an injury, so that's too easy. To me, the dumbest pick is the one you should have seen coming. For that, it's tough to decide between Akili and Klingler, because they're very similar. Both were systems QBs, which should have raised red flags (run and shoot for Klingler, Tedford for Smith). But it should have been more obvious with Klingler - Ware had just won the Heisman in that system and wasn't exactly looking like a stud. When his replacement comes in and has basically the same results, that's generally not a good sign for either of them (though Carson Palmer would be an exception).

So which decision was worse? I'm tempted to say Klingler because he came from a run and shoot system, while Tedford is at least pro-style. That said, 1992 was the run-and-shoot's heyday, so it's a little easier with hindsight. Still, the Bengals didn't use the run-and-shoot, and drafting a QB from a gimmicky system that you don't run probably isn't a good idea (how's that working Alex Smith?).

So I vote Klingler as worst #1 overall in a narrow margin.

For best, I go Munoz, Palmer in that order. I believe that Munoz was the best tackle around when he played, and one could argue that tackle is as important as QB. Palmer's extremely good, but he's not quite at the level of the all-time greats like Munoz was.

I only disagree on the Klingler/Smith issue - in that Smith was viewed by most as a lower pick who was very raw and didn't play that long in college. He had poor mechanics, scored terribly on the IQ test, and was a huge gamble at that spot. Mike Brown basically made that pick himself after flying around watching the top Qb's in person (including Culpepper whom he passed on).

Klingler actually was very talented, had a good arm, a lot of good college experience, and with some coaching up could've and did pick things up quickly.

Klingler's problem is that he didn't have the drive or personality to make it in the NFL - he was too passive, shy and lacked any personality intangible NFL QB's need to succeed, and of course suffered from the Bengals' skimping on the 0-line at the time and reliance on skill players on offense - giving him no support whatsoever (much like Akili who only had Willie and Goff for a while as decent lineman). Hell Klingler didn't even have Willie - he was obliterated into Bengaldom with that blank stare and turned to Christianity for salvation as a result of his humbling experience here.

[akiliklingler]

At first glance I'd say Akili, but the silver lining in him is if we don't make that mistake, then we don't suck so freakin' bad that were able to draft Carson. So I think that draft pick has a happy ending. Klinger's tempting too, but I think he would have been alright if he were on another team. For example, until this year, I always felt that if Big Ben were on another team he wouldn't be half as productive as he is - although he's disproving that theory this year. Big Ben right place, right time; Klingler wrong place, wrong time. I'll go with Big Daddy Wilkerson. He was a huge bust - literally.

[Jet23]

Best pick - Anthony. Carson is a very close 2nd, but it's hard to argue against the sole HOFer.

Worst pick - Akili. Not only was Smith a huge question mark, given the fact that he was a one year starter in the 'no defense' Pac-10, but SOP also passed on the most insane trade offer ever. That pick pretty much sums up why Mike Brown was, and continues to be, a joke.

[jjakq27]

Best pick - Anthony. Carson is a very close 2nd, but it's hard to argue against the sole HOFer.

Worst pick - Akili. Not only was Smith a huge question mark, given the fact that he was a one year starter in the 'no defense' Pac-10, but SOP also passed on the most insane trade offer ever. That pick pretty much sums up why Mike Brown was, and continues to be, a joke.

I agree completely with your choices.

When someone offers a kings ransom I think you better take a serious look. I don't remember the specific placement of various teams but I know the Champ Bailey was on everyone's short list. Maybe they should have taken Bailey and stuck with Jeff Blake at QB for another year or two.

I think they could have made that trade and still had enough ammo with the extra picks to trade back up and take Akili if they really wanted him so badly. It would have saved them some contract money by sliding down a few picks and given them more picks to shore up a weak team.

Klingler was a good college QB that was drafted into a WCO-style team. It was also the beginning of the end of the run of the good Bengals teams of the late 80's. After the Victoria C incident in Seattle in 1991, MB cleaned house and Klingler suffered as part of that upheaval. I also remember Dave Lapham talking about how Klingler had difficulty interacting with the guys and would sit out in his car and eat his lunch and listen to the radio while everyone else was inside. This must have been the complete polar opposite of Boomer.

But I also have a sore spot for the Big Daddy pick. Daddy had just finished his sophomore year at OSU and I just don't think he was ready for the NFL. Plus we passed on Marshall Faulk and selected Biggie instead because we had Harold Green. Harold freakkin' Green!!!!!!! And then we took KiJana Carter the very next year.

But I hold no grudges at this point. It is "bridge under the water" as the eloquent Carl Pickens once said.

[damiancasey]

Klingler was a good college QB that was drafted into a WCO-style team. It was also the beginning of the end of the run of the good Bengals teams of the late 80's. After the Victoria C incident in Seattle in 1991, MB cleaned house and Klingler suffered as part of that upheaval. I also remember Dave Lapham talking about how Klingler had difficulty interacting with the guys and would sit out in his car and eat his lunch and listen to the radio while everyone else was inside. This must have been the complete polar opposite of Boomer.

Another story I seem to recall about Klingler...

Didn't he originally not want to start as QB? If I am remembering correctly he was working out for Bengals scouts and they noticed that he had a great high jump, long jump, speed, etc. and we drafted him. After he was drafted he basically flat out said that he was not confident enough to start as QB and they talked him into it...does anyone remember this? Or do I have the story all messed up?

[HairOnFire]

The worst pick has to be Akili, largely because there was so much riding on the choice and because the things that undid the pick were well known ahead of time. Not that those factors automatically doomed the pick, but none of them were correctly dealt with after Smith became a pro. In short, fix the problems that everyone could see and you're a genius. Fail to correct any of them and you're failure becomes epic.

Even in hindsight there's probably nothing that may have salvaged Akili's career, but it's worth noting how the Bengals plan to develop Akili was derailed almost immediately, first by his disastrous holdout, then by an injury that forced him to play sooner than intended, then by simply handing him the starters job without making him beat out a veteran. All of these hard learned lessons were corrected after Palmer was selected.

Making matters worse was the decision to pass on the New Orleans trade offer, decision that very easily could have been defended if the Bengals would have stayed put and either selected the best defender available, Champ Bailey, or the franchise QB the Bengals should have selected, Duante Culpepper. And since Mike Brown was so adamant about addressing the Bengals need at QB it's almost certain that Culpepper would emerge as the most likely woulda-coulda-shoulda pick.

[jjakq27]

Here are a few more tidbits about the Akilin-me saga.

Jeff Blake was Coslet's favorite but fell into MB's doghouse when he was given a ride home by a police officer after he failed a sobriety test and left his car in the parking lot of the city/police building in Addyston, Ohio after a Sunday game. I think it probably cemented Mike's belief that a new QB was a requirement. It irked me that he would be out partying that late after they played in Denver just a few hours earlier and lost.

http://www.cincypost.com/sports/1997/drive092597.html

Akili was a minor league baseball player and that gave him the rep of being a good all-around athlete which ended up being another misconception.

There was a comparison done on that class of QBs and it showed that the more experience they had in college the better they ended up being. McNabb started 4 years and Culpepper started 3 and they have been very successful QBs in the NFL while Akili started 11 games in one season and it showed. Tim Couch started for about 2-1/2 years but I think his shoulder injury kept him form amounting to much as a pro. It's funny to think back on the supposed rivalry that those two were going to have "for years to come".