Your Draft Grades Please

[Dadraftnick]

I have to give them a solid B+

It would have been an A- if they had not lost it in the 7th rnd.

All in all I have to say that this is the happiest I can remember being with a Bengals draft EVER.

As I have said , I go through the draft and mark guys I like and there are very few guys that I like.

Up to the 7th rnd I loved pretty much all of the guys.

The only draft I liked close to this draft is Marvin's first draft and a couple back in the 80's they were the structure that they built a playoff team on.

[Kazkal]

A

Rounds 1-5 were all great picks for the positions & value

Round 6 Was High risk high reward guys ...Trent may have got Burnt but so did Hall and he's been a pretty good corner for us...

Round 7 I like Fui but the other 2 picks were just Practice Squad Projects by the look of it.

[gregstephens]

I have to give them a solid B+

It would have been an A- if they had not lost it in the 7th rnd.

All in all I have to say that this is the happiest I can remember being with a Bengals draft EVER.

As I have said , I go through the draft and mark guys I like and there are very few guys that I like.

Up to the 7th rnd I loved pretty much all of the guys.

The only draft I liked close to this draft is Marvin's first draft and a couple back in the 80's they were the structure that they built a playoff team on.

I gotta go A. 6th and 7th rounds are throwaway usually. I think they focused on the needs for a change, stuck to priority and picked the best people available to fill the gaps. Could have went higher on center, but I don't dislike the way it shook. Had to take Rey at 2. Punter at 5 was a good call, for my money.

I think it'll pan out well.

[coupdayta]

A. Solid picks contributing to areas of need, no reaches. Not really concerned about rounds 6 and 7.

[bryce40]

I would have to give it a high B+ or a low A-

[UF_Gators_15]

I give it a B+, it was easily an A+ up to Rnd 6. I really wanted Quinn Johnson the FB that went to Green Bay but he went after Huber and I def. wanted him, plus we seem real high on Vakapuna, he had great measurables with his size I just hope he is our FB of the future! Rounds 6 n 7 were very polar opposite of Rounds 1-4. I really wanted Graham Gano, the kicker from FSU to push Shayne Graham especially since he doesn't want to sign his franchise tag. I would have rather had Joe Burnett outta UCF, a CB who is a gr8 return specialist, who s**tzburgh took after we took Morgan Trent who I know nothing about I will admit. Bernard Scott is a kaboom or bust pick that has off the field problems that could put us back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons but a 6th round project is way better than a 2nd or 3rd round project. Clinton McDonald, DT from Memphis is clearly a Practice Squad player and while undersized has a gr8 motor and strength and might be able to come off the Practice Squad and contribute. I don't know anything about Freddie Brown, WR outta Utah, but why? Is he really gonna make the squad? We already have 2-3 WR on the Practice Squad.

My huge problems with this draft, I was preachin for Cedric Peerman in the 6th where we picked Morgan Trent, we pass and then he goes to the Gayvens. I loved Joe Burnett and we pass and he goes to the Squeelers, and we don't think A.Q. Shipley can play in the AFC North with his lack of size and short arms but the Squeelers do!

We filled a lot of holes with gr8 talent and for once are getting props for drafting well and maybe I'm being greedy b/c while I wanted Quinn Johnson, we still got our FB(hopefully) in Fui Vakapuna, but we didn't address our needs for a returner IMO and bungled a couple of late picks! But I'll take this kinda draft anytime!

[kingwilly]

A-

Would be an A, save for the Scott selection. Just not necessary to gamble on a guy with such bad behavioral issues, talent aside.

This is about as good a draft in....I will have to go back and look but so long I cannot recall.

[HAPPYJAQ]

Yeah, Marvin already said that he didn't expect all the picks to make the team, but maybe one of the 6th or 7th rounders surprise with a strong camp. Bernard Scott is my sleeper pick to make an impact and should be the starting KR/PR. In drafting four players with first or second round talent, I'd give the draft an A.

[jditty47]

I'll give it a A- It would be higher but I think there were a couple reaches (C and CB).

[HairOnFire]

My huge problems with this draft, I was preachin for Cedric Peerman in the 6th where we picked Morgan Trent, we pass and then he goes to the Gayvens. I loved Joe Burnett....

I can't call it a huge problem but yeah, this is my biggest complaint as well. I wanted a nickleback but Burnett was the last one I would have been happy with, and to make matters worse he lasted longer than I guessed. I figured he would go sooner due to his return skills. And by passing on Peerman, for Trent no less, the following pick of Scott became more likely.

It's a small enough gripe I guess, but I'd much rather be discussing Peerman's history of injury than the latest in a long line of red flags.

[Bearcat1975]

A-

Best feeling about a Bengals draft since I don't know when.

[Wraith]

B+

First Round B+ (would have been an A but for passing on Monroe)

Second Round A+ (Maualuga might be the greatest second round pick ever.)

Third Round A (Michael Johnson and Chase Coffman are second round picks so value was high)

Fourth Round B+ (went for need with Luigs)

Fifth Round A (Huber was a perfect pick and he wouuld not have been there in the sixth)

Sixth Round C- (Jennings would have been the better pick IMHO and Mickens better than Trent)

Seventh Round D (three throwaway picks)

[mgilgris]

I give it an A- too, i just cant understand why they wouldnt try to package some of those 6 or 7 rounders to go up and take a player they know more about. The Project players never seem to work out for us, so why not go for quality over quantity of players.

[BengalszoneBilly]

A solid "A". Day One was flawless. We landed the BEST OT and LB in the draft! Day Two brought five rounds of serious questions that I feel the Bengals met quite well! I haven't been this happy since 2003.

[derekshank]

Look Dadraftnick... I understand that the Bengals didn't select who you wanted in the 7th round... but you can't weigh all picks the same.... or even similarly.

If you add up all the pick values with the NFL draft pick value chart, the Bengals had 2622.35 total points available. The #6 pick was worth 1600 of that (61% of the Bengals entire draft's value). The last two 7th round picks combined were worth 1.35 points (.05% of the entire draft's value). They could have given those picks for free to the Steelers and not had enough of an impact to lower your grade to a B+.

Given that I went to the trouble of figuring out those percentages... I figured I would have some fun grading this out more scientifically. After all, I have a teaching degree, and don't have anything better to do tonight.

My grades:

Andre Smith - A solid A. I won't give it an A+ simply because everyone admits that there are question marks surrounding his name. However, you can't ignore the fact that he 1) was the BPA; 2) addressed a major need; and 3) was talented enough to go in top 2. So you get great value at the #6 pick. (1520 out of a possible 1600 points)

Rey Maualuga - A+. Several on this board wanted this guy at #6 citing that he was worth the 10 pick reach for a dynamic playmaker who could change the attitude of the defense. Instead, they get him a good 20 picks later than most mocks projected him. An obvious pick, but you can't deduct points because simply because it was too easy. (520 points out of a possible 520 points)

Michael Johnson - B. I think he will be a big contributor this season and if used properly could go a long way in fixing the pass rush problem. That said, I thought Caldwell should have been the pick here. Frankly, had Luigs not fallen to the 4th round, I probably would have hated this pick. Luigs did fall, so it didn't bite them in the ass - but I still don't care for the risky strategy here. Center was a much greater need, and there were more pass rushers left than there were starting caliber Centers. (204 points out of a possible 240 points)

Chase Coffman - B+. Another very good value pick. The Bengals may have finally gotten their game breaking/pass catching TE, but how much was that a priority coming into the draft? With Utecht, Kelly, and Coats on the roster, TE was not a major need. I'm not questioning the value, but it would have done my heart better to select Luigs here and hope that Coffman fell the remaining 8 slots. Had that happened, Coffman would have gotten my full A+ endorsement... but I can't give it here because of the risk involved. (96 points out of 108 points)

Jonathan Luigs - A. He's the 5th ranked Center in this draft, and the last that is worthy of being called a starter. I'm concerned that he was taken with the 106th overall pick (Eric Ghiaciuc was taken with the 119th). The Bengals weren't aggressive to trade up to get Unger... but that would have been difficult anyway. I don't know how I feel about starting a 4th round rookie at Center... but it was a good pick at a position of need. (78 points out of a possible 82 points)

Kevin Huber - A+. It feels weird being excited about a Punter being drafted... but I feel like a good punter would have gone a long way in helping the defense hold up against the poor position the offense constantly put them in. If this guy is as good as advertised, we won't be complaining about the punting game anymore for a long time. (35 points out of a possible 35 points).

Morgan Trent - B-. I wanted Cedric Peerman here. I wasn't too upset that they took a CB, but if they were going to take a CB, I would have preferred Coye Francies who went 12 picks later to the hated Browns. I don't hate this pick, because I do think that CB is a need position, and don't feel like Trent is a bad pick. I doubt he was the BPA since he was the 28th CB taken. But it seems like a solid pick nonetheless. (16.6 points out of a possible 20.8 points)

Bernard Scott - B-. I don't love it, but I don't hate it. If he gets in trouble, you're losing a late 6th round pick. Spilled milk in my mind. If he gets his act together, it could be a huge boom. I have hope, but I'm leaning slightly toward bust over boom. As far as talent goes, it was a great pick. As far as risk, it's a big one - but could be worth it. (7 points out of a possible 8.8 points).

Fui Vakapuna - A+. Love it, love it, love it. I had a good deal of fear that the signing of Jeremi Johnson spelled the end of my hopes for a rookie FB. Not only did they take one, they take a guy I like a lot in the 7th round... a cousin and a clone of a guy the heavily pursued in FA... and it sends a very real message to Jeremi Johnson. "Don't get complacent." (6.4 points out of a possible 6.4 points).

Clinton McDonald and Freddie Brown - I don't know anything about them... and don't much care. I don't expect them to be more than practice squad material if they even make it that far. Of the two late 7th rounders last year, Urratia is on the team - but not Kirk Barton. Since I don't feel like doing my research, I'll give them both zeroes since it won't change my overall draft grade anyway (0 points out of a total 1.35 points)

Overall score:

2483 total points out of a total 2622.35 points (94.7%) Solid 'A' draft

[BengalszoneBilly]

Look Dadraftnick... I understand that the Bengals didn't select who you wanted in the 7th round... but you can't weigh all picks the same.... or even similarly.

If you add up all the pick values with the NFL draft pick value chart, the Bengals had 2622.35 total points available. The #6 pick was worth 1600 of that (61% of the Bengals entire draft's value). The last two 7th round picks combined were worth 1.35 points (.05% of the entire draft's value). They could have given those picks for free to the Steelers and not had enough of an impact to lower your grade to a B+.

Given that I went to the trouble of figuring out those percentages... I figured I would have some fun grading this out more scientifically. After all, I have a teaching degree, and don't have anything better to do tonight.

My grades:

Andre Smith - A solid A. I won't give it an A+ simply because everyone admits that there are question marks surrounding his name. However, you can't ignore the fact that he 1) was the BPA; 2) addressed a major need; and 3) was talented enough to go in top 2. So you get great value at the #6 pick. (1520 out of a possible 1600 points)

Rey Maualuga - A+. Several on this board wanted this guy at #6 citing that he was worth the 10 pick reach for a dynamic playmaker who could change the attitude of the defense. Instead, they get him a good 20 picks later than most mocks projected him. An obvious pick, but you can't deduct points because simply because it was too easy. (520 points out of a possible 520 points)

Michael Johnson - B. I think he will be a big contributor this season and if used properly could go a long way in fixing the pass rush problem. That said, I thought Caldwell should have been the pick here. Frankly, had Luigs not fallen to the 4th round, I probably would have hated this pick. Luigs did fall, so it didn't bite them in the ass - but I still don't care for the risky strategy here. Center was a much greater need, and there were more pass rushers left than there were starting caliber Centers. (204 points out of a possible 240 points)

Chase Coffman - B+. Another very good value pick. The Bengals may have finally gotten their game breaking/pass catching TE, but how much was that a priority coming into the draft? With Utecht, Kelly, and Coats on the roster, TE was not a major need. I'm not questioning the value, but it would have done my heart better to select Luigs here and hope that Coffman fell the remaining 8 slots. Had that happened, Coffman would have gotten my full A+ endorsement... but I can't give it here because of the risk involved. (96 points out of 108 points)

Jonathan Luigs - A. He's the 5th ranked Center in this draft, and the last that is worthy of being called a starter. I'm concerned that he was taken with the 106th overall pick (Eric Ghiaciuc was taken with the 119th). The Bengals weren't aggressive to trade up to get Unger... but that would have been difficult anyway. I don't know how I feel about starting a 4th round rookie at Center... but it was a good pick at a position of need. (78 points out of a possible 82 points)

Kevin Huber - A+. It feels weird being excited about a Punter being drafted... but I feel like a good punter would have gone a long way in helping the defense hold up against the poor position the offense constantly put them in. If this guy is as good as advertised, we won't be complaining about the punting game anymore for a long time. (35 points out of a possible 35 points).

Morgan Trent - B-. I wanted Cedric Peerman here. I wasn't too upset that they took a CB, but if they were going to take a CB, I would have preferred Coye Francies who went 12 picks later to the hated Browns. I don't hate this pick, because I do think that CB is a need position, and don't feel like Trent is a bad pick. I doubt he was the BPA since he was the 28th CB taken. But it seems like a solid pick nonetheless. (16.6 points out of a possible 20.8 points)

Bernard Scott - B-. I don't love it, but I don't hate it. If he gets in trouble, you're losing a late 6th round pick. Spilled milk in my mind. If he gets his act together, it could be a huge boom. I have hope, but I'm leaning slightly toward bust over boom. As far as talent goes, it was a great pick. As far as risk, it's a big one - but could be worth it. (7 points out of a possible 8.8 points).

Fui Vakapuna - A+. Love it, love it, love it. I had a good deal of fear that the signing of Jeremi Johnson spelled the end of my hopes for a rookie FB. Not only did they take one, they take a guy I like a lot in the 7th round... a cousin and a clone of a guy the heavily pursued in FA... and it sends a very real message to Jeremi Johnson. "Don't get complacent." (6.4 points out of a possible 6.4 points).

Clinton McDonald and Freddie Brown - I don't know anything about them... and don't much care. I don't expect them to be more than practice squad material if they even make it that far. Of the two late 7th rounders last year, Urratia is on the team - but not Kirk Barton. Since I don't feel like doing my research, I'll give them both zeroes since it won't change my overall draft grade anyway (0 points out of a total 1.35 points)

Overall score:

2483 total points out of a total 2622.35 points (94.7%) Solid 'A' draft

That's the best lucid analysis of the draft that I've read yet!

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

I decided to look at what the early returns were from the "experts". General consensus? Anywhere from B- to C for the Bengals.

I was honestly surprised. I have no love for Mikey, and I'm not sold on Andre "D-cup" Smith not being crazy, but Christ, the rest of the draft was gold. Just goes to show how dumb some of these "experts" are.

Really, this draft has massive upside. Just Andre Smith's titties alone make this an A draft.

[membengal]

A.

Possible starters, and quality ones, all over the draft. I could give a flying f**k over the seventh round. Looking forward to all the mini-camps now.

[Clackwoods]

I give the draft an A just because of the question marks surrounding Andre.

We got the number one OT, MLB, and Punter

Luigs is going to be a fine addition to our Oline

Michael Johnson is a guy I was afraid of picking at six, hesitant about in round 2, and estatic about in the third

Picking Morgan Trent was an outstanding pick in my opinion. The guy is always around the ball and he is a big time hitter and he plays through injuries. I watched him play in person three times this year and really came away impressed. Him and the Dline was the only bright spot for Michigan this season.

I have heard a lot about Scott and you can't argue the numbers, but I cant believe we didnt take Jennings (I think he is going to prove a lot of people wrong) even if he is a big back. We can get a small back for our number 3 and have a three headed monster like the Giants

I love the FB pick, especially in round 7

I like McDonalds interview on Draftguys and he looked explosive. If he sticks he sticks, if he doesnt who cares

Who gives a s**t about that reciever cuz I don't, we should have taken Graham Harrell or Boyer

[imhungry1989]

Round 1- I would had preferred Eugene Monroe, but we'll see what happens, Smith is still a good selection, they could had done something really stupid like the raiders

Round 2- great value with Ray Maualuga I was shocked that he fell all the way to the Bengals

Round 3- like the pick of Johnson here he is a freak athlete, hopefully he can realize his potential and become a nice DE

Round 3- Chase Coffman is an excellent receiving TE and he can also line up in the slot, solid pick

Round 4- a Center was needed, Luigis was decently productive in college and is a pretty athletic olinemen, needs some work on his strength though

Round 5- the punting game last year was less than spectacular, getting one of the better college punters in Huber could help right away

Round 6- Morgan Trent....... ive always seen him as a track guy who plays football, he could end up being serviceable but I have my doubts

Round 6- Bernard Scott- character concerns aside, looks like a guy who could be productive if he stays out of trouble

Round 7- Fui Vakapuna- nice pick, good blocker who can catch the ball and run if needed

Round 7- Clinton McDonald- not sure what to think about this one, probably a scout teamer from the scouting reports I read

Round 7- Freddie Brown- posession receiver, could have done better here

overall id give this draft probably an B+, one of the better drafts we have had in a while, the last few rounds rounds could had been better, but those rounds are usually a crap shoot anyway so we'll see

[Kazkal]

I still can't believe the draft we had, 2 weeks ago people were feeling down and figuring we'd go 6-10 and in just two day everyone is hyped and actually looking forward to next season just because of how the past 2 days went...

[jonf45uk]

For most NFL teams it would be a B, but for the Bengals its gotta be an A!!

For the first time in as many years as i can remember we've got some great looking players who can help the team immediately,and were actual requirements, rather than taking the "best player available".

Lets hope they sign em up quickly and that they can stay out of trouble....

Jon

[HairOnFire]

Michael Johnson - B. I think he will be a big contributor this season and if used properly could go a long way in fixing the pass rush problem. That said, I thought Caldwell should have been the pick here. Frankly, had Luigs not fallen to the 4th round, I probably would have hated this pick. Luigs did fall, so it didn't bite them in the ass - but I still don't care for the risky strategy here. Center was a much greater need, and there were more pass rushers left than there were starting caliber Centers.

We'll see how Luigs works out, but I think the very reason the Bengals had a stellar draft was due to their unwillingness to reach for the OC prospect almost everyone agreed they had to have. But for once the Bengals targeted the player they wanted and they stayed true to their draft board, and THAT was the key to everything.

Had the Bengals followed the consensus opinion they would have missed out on Rey at #38. And had they followed the still popular but more risky decision to wait until #70 they would have missed out on Michael Johnson.

In fact, I first mentioned Luigs, along with Asher Allen and Kraig Urbik, as one of my three favorites for #70, and I pimped Luigs again when the #98 pick rolled around. So like you I was sweating bullets after Caldwell was taken precisely because I was no longer willing to assume additional risk. But the Bengals were better poker players than you or I, and right now I find it very hard to fault them.

Finally, while there never seemed to be a consensus opinion about how the OC's should be ranked DraftScout ranked Luigs as the 79th best prospect. Caldwell was ranked 101st.

[derekshank]

Michael Johnson - B. I think he will be a big contributor this season and if used properly could go a long way in fixing the pass rush problem. That said, I thought Caldwell should have been the pick here. Frankly, had Luigs not fallen to the 4th round, I probably would have hated this pick. Luigs did fall, so it didn't bite them in the ass - but I still don't care for the risky strategy here. Center was a much greater need, and there were more pass rushers left than there were starting caliber Centers.

We'll see how Luigs works out, but I think the very reason the Bengals had a stellar draft was due to their unwillingness to reach for the OC prospect almost everyone agreed they had to have. But for once the Bengals targeted the player they wanted and they stayed true to their draft board, and THAT was the key to everything.

Had the Bengals followed the consensus opinion they would have missed out on Rey at #38. And had they followed the still popular but more risky decision to wait until #70 they would have missed out on Michael Johnson.

In fact, I first mentioned Luigs, along with Asher Allen and Kraig Urbik, as one of my three favorites for #70, and I pimped Luigs again when the #98 pick rolled around. So like you I was sweating bullets after Caldwell was taken precisely because I was no longer willing to assume additional risk. But the Bengals were better poker players than you or I, and right now I find it very hard to fault them.

Finally, while there never seemed to be a consensus opinion about how the OC's should be ranked DraftScout ranked Luigs as the 79th best prospect. Caldwell was ranked 101st.

Maybe you're right that they preferred Luigs all along, but being a little aggressive to move up and get him would have gone a long way in my book. Yeah... ultimately they didn't have to, but had he been taken a pick or two ahead of the Bengals, this draft could not have received an 'A' from me.

Like I said, I've got no beef with the players taken. I also agree that had the Bengals reached, it may not have been quite as good a draft. However, this is the strategy the Bengals use every year. The fact that if finally worked out doesn't make it a good one. Usually they are forced to reach for need positions because the players they hoped would have fallen to them didn't. This draft worked out extraordinarily well - but I fear merely reenforces in Mike Brown's mind that his s**tty draft strategy is an effective one.

So while I gave the draft an 'A', I actually have a hard time giving anyone but lady luck the credit for it.

[icehole3]

Smith = A+ (Thornton says Levi is back so thats good enough for me, Smith fills the RT spot)

Rey Rey = A+ (Bengals play catburgler on this pick)

MJohnson = A (Bengals play Texas hold on and didnt reach, last year they wouldve selected him in the 1st round)

CCoffman = B (Foot injury worries me a little)

Luigs = C (last big name center on the board, has some weaknesses, least they didnt reach for another MAC center)

Huber = B+ (love this pick, finally a legit punter)

Trent = C (my guess is Leon Hall had something to do with this)

BScott = F (they shouldve drafted Osama BinLaden)

Vakapuna = B (love the Somoans, I would reach for all Samoans)

McDonald = C (had a farm...)

FBrown = C (Mikey up from his nap, demands a WR)

overall I give it a solid B+