Grade the Bengals Draft

[HoosierCat]

Best. Draft. Ever.

OK, maybe not, but a solid A draft in my book. Bengals filled needs, didn't reach for players, and got good value in the later rounds. I can't remember being this satisfied with a Bengals draft since 2003.

1 CB Leon Hall: Top corner in draft falls to Cincy, Bengals pull the trigger.

2 RB Kenny Irons: From thin to thick at RB.

4 S Marvin White: Potential star who will step into K2's slot and play from day 1.

5 QB Jeff Rowe: Solid prospect, fills a need, and if he pans out could bring Matt Schaub-type rewards to the team.

6 DT Matt Toeaina: Space-eater who has a chance to step up and, if he does, step in when Fat Sam's time is up.

7a G Dan Santucci: Starting G, major program, projected mid-round pick, falls to 7th. Thank you, may I have another?

7b Cxvbtio Nghleu...err...Ghytllr Wqavvc...err S Chinedum Ndukwe. Great athlete, marginal football player, needs coaching, PS material.

[mjm47]

I graded A - now let's see some CFA's (Walter Thomas).

Who graded F and why?

[WhoDeyForever]

I'll give this draft about a B.

I'm not so high on the Leon Hall pick but we shall see...He didnt impress me that much at michigan but a lot of people are really high on him for some reason..I hope I am wrong and that he is a great corner.

As for Kenny Irons, I am ecsatic. I could not be anymore happier about this pick. It fills a great need because Chris Perry is always hurt and we need a running back to back up Rudi. Yes Kenny Watson is good but Irons will be even better. Irons is a much different running back in Rudi and in my opinion thats what you need for a successful team.

Marvin White I am really high on. I think he could turn out to be a stud if coached right. He is a hard hitter and I think he could be a starter in a couple years.

About the QB pick Jeff Rowe. I was dissappointed. There were other quarterbacks that we could've chosen that I think would have been a better fit. Like Troy Smith for example or Jordan Palmer. Jeff Rowe seems to have great strength and looks like a great qb. I just wanna say this though. If Carson Palmer would go down because of an injury I think that game or the season would be over anyway so it doesent really matter to me.

Toeaina I think will be a monster. He is big and I have actually watched a couple Oregon games and I remember him stepping up big in 3rd and short situations.

Stanucci is a good pickup. Solid lineman that can be used for depth.

Ndukwe will be a good special teams player and could possibly end up being a great defensive back. Good pick.

Overall in some rounds there were players that I would've liked to have that we didnt end up getting. I am still pleased with the draft though.

[ChadJohnson-85]

I like the idea of drafting Jeff Rowe in the fifth round. This dude looks like the next Carson Palmer IMO. He should be the back up of Carson this upcoming season but I guess we'll find that out this pre-season. I also like Hall in the first round but would of liked Revis better though. I give this draft an A.

Who Dey!!!

[Kazkal]

Giving it a B+ for now...Few picks I'd rather have but overall fine with everyone.

[TJJackson]

I went with a B.

I liked almost all the players to some extent or another, but the following dropped the grade from an A

1) too many offensive players taken

2) offensive players taken too early overall (particularly the RB)

Had Justin Durant dropped to us in r2, and the r5 pick been a RB like Deshaun Wynn, I'd have called it an A.

I don't count the final pick, listed as a S, as a defensive pick. It's pretty clear he'll never see the field on a defensive down. I like me a pure special teamer, as evidenced by my avatar, but we already have a couple of those now and I am not sure there is room for another

[bengalsfan17]

I gave this draft a b, i like the picks of leon hall and marving white I think marvin white is a stud....i thought the kenny irons pick was alright, nothing great considering you could have gotten a back just as good in the 4th round.....and didnt like that we took a qb in the 5th and it was a reach..i thought we would take tim shaw i thought he was a sleeper....santucci will be a good backup....Toeaina adds depth so hopefully they can cut robinson but they still did not get a playmaking linebacker and should have made sure so they could get one, those darn jets! but its a B they got some stolen talent

[mgilgris]

Our Defense has gotten worse since the offseason. This draft failed to address any of the problems. While i like Irons we needed any type of defensive help or at least more competition at the positions. Having Caleb Miller as a potential started scares the He** out of me.

What do we do now that we have 4 RB's. IF we cut Perry how does that effect Cap Space. This draft made more questions, rather than answering them.

Hartwell I hope your healthy, and I hope your signed. We are in for a rough year on defense.

[Pinkygen]

B+/A-

I would have preferred another defensive player, especially for the line. Still am irked we have no TE. Not entirely the Bengals fault, as apparently all of our defenders got taken in the 2nd round. I am most suspicious of the 5th round pick.

1. Hall - Fell to us, took him, probably as best a CB we can get in this draft.

2. Irons - I've grown on him. He fills a need at RB, can be very useful as change of pace RB even if he can't catch like Perry. I just hope he's healthy, two Faulty RB's would be a nightmare.

3. Brooks - Will be awesome with a year's worth of training.

4. Marvin White: Safety, looks like at least a good backup. Needs some coaching, but at least he hits. Seems like good value for 4th, we'll see.

5. QB Jeff Rowe: Still don't like him that much. Think we're screwed if CP gets hurt, with or without him. Can save money on cap, I guess, so maybe we can get some sort of TE . Slight chance he'll wow us if he has to step in. I would have preferred to gamble on another defensive player, though I realize it would have been a gamble.

6. Toeaina - Good to get a young line player, seems fierce. The line still needs a lot of work, but some new blood.

7A. Santucci - Notre Dame's line always looked horrible when I watched them, but hopefully it wasn't his fault. I'll take a backup guard.

7B. Ndukwe - Impossible to pronounce. Very athletic, needs a lot of coaching.

[mjm47]

Most of the complaints seem to center around TE and LB. In response, I submit the following.

TE: there are only so many passes to go around. (But Chris Henry is gone for eight games and our 3rd down percentage was off). True, however, Tab Perry was slotted to play some sort of TE/HB hybrid last year before his hip exploded - we'll see more of him this year. In addition, they must feel at least some level of comfort with all the random PS type guys they have - otherwise, I can't imagine that they would have passed on Patrick repeatedly.

LB: Jeanty, Frazier, Brooks, Johnson, Miller, Henderson, Thurman?, Hartwell?, Pollack? How many linebackers should we draft in lieu of a starting corner who can replace Deltha in the future?

[HoosierCat]

We are in for a rough year on defense.

I agree, but that has less to do with the LB corps and more to do with the fact the team consistently ignores the d-line on day 1. I would have loved an LB like Durant in the second -- but let's face it, he wasn't going to be the difference between a top and bottom defense. And we already have 3 new LBs to work in in Brooks, Nicholson and Henderson.

I can't agree that this draft failed to address any of our problems. Leon Hall and Marvin White will be on the field opening day, and I have no doubt that Joseph/O'Neal/Hall is a better combo than James/O'Neal/Joseph.

The RB position is no problem. Dumping Mr. Glass would cost about $750k versus the cap. But I suspect they will just PUP him, which solves that problem at least until November.

[NJ29]

The only pick I don't like is Rowe, I just was not impressed by anything I saw of him. If it was a QB I liked, I wouldn't be as pissed. B+/A- from me.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I'm good with all the picks except the one with Rowe at QB. (That's why I say A- for the Bengals this year.) Maybe it's just me, and I don't see the need. Overall though, a solid draft. The War Room of the Bengals really addressed most of the needs I thought needed addressing.

[HoosierCat]

Oh, for all you LB fans, Hartwell's agent says they are trying to wrap up a deal with the bengals...

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6019

[Stripes]

A

Pretty run of the mill draft for a team building depth. I love the Hall, White, Toeaina, Stantucci, and Ndukwe picks. All of them were excellent value picks, and were rated higher than they were picked pre-draft (for what that's worth).

I was high on Irons throughout the offseason, but never expected him to end up in Cincinnati. I have minor questions about how much we need him, but he's another solid value pick that should be able to contribute quickly. I have no issue with the Rowe pick either, as he looks just as good as any of the other QB picks taken in the 4th or later.

This looks like a lot like a "win now" draft to me. That's a first under Marvin.

Oh, for all you LB fans, Hartwell's agent says they are trying to wrap up a deal with the bengals...

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6019

indeed.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

B-

The minus comes from the shaky Irons' pick (liked a couple of other RB's better or could've gotten a suitable guy later in the draft).

Irons' under-sized and struggles with injuries - why get another guy at that position who struggles to stay healthy? Why a guy with no real receiving experience? He doesn't project into a 25-30 carry a game back and while they hopefully won't need that, what if they do? I would prefer they have targeted a bigger guy who could carry the load if necessary. Wynn would've been solid in the 5th.

Ultimately, fine, he's a good back either way, but his size and work habits in the weight room concern me.

Rowe also deserves a negative mark because again I thought there were better pro QB's available. Love his size but his arm is weak (despite being accurate). Not a horrible pick, but the kid from Oregon and one or two others I liked better. We'll see there.

Plusses:

No risky character picks! None. Excellent job.

Negatives:

Only one player in the entire draft may contribute significantly to this team now and in the future, best case scenario is 3 - IF you count the Brooks pick as the 3rd.

Can't see the 5th-7th round picks even holding a roster spot this year. No fun late round WR's to watch this preseason. Maybe they'll get a undrafted FA or two as usual there.

That's not horrible, it's simply a safe, rather mediocre draft ultimately.

Fine - most of their $ is put into current stars any ways.

Would've liked to have seen them take Kahlil in the 2nd and put the RB and QB picks off until the 4th/5th rounds. This would've netted them more immediate impact, value and long term stability on the o-line, and protection for Palmer - which he is going to need next season when someone goes down.

[BlainThePain]

I gave them a B. IMO, they had solid picks all the way through, but didn't land anybody that got me excited.

[Kazkal]

Still am irked we have no TE

Tim Day baby.

[HoosierCat]

Still am irked we have no TE

Tim Day baby.

If he can stay healthy Day could turn out to be a real steal.

[Kazkal]

Can't see the 5th-7th round picks even holding a roster spot this year. No fun late round WR's to watch this preseason. smile.gif Maybe they'll get a undrafted FA or two as usual there.

Million zone dollars says Big Toe is on the team minus being stored on a injury list

[BlainThePain]

Can't see the 5th-7th round picks even holding a roster spot this year. No fun late round WR's to watch this preseason. smile.gif Maybe they'll get a undrafted FA or two as usual there.

Million zone dollars says Big Toe is on the team minus being stored on a injury list

Rowe will make the roster as the third QB.

[hrod382]

Leon Hall - Pretty much a no brainer, quality player that fills our biggest need. I was interested in Branch and Nelson but I can easily understand the reasons for not taking either. Hall was the much safer pick and a much better fit.

Grade: A+

Kenny Irons - In terms of needs RB gets a D for day one, however with Irons as the BPA he provides much needed insurance for Rudi and we can finally have our own two headed monster. He also appears to be more of a big play guy which I think we sorely miss at RB. The grade drops as our needs lie on defense but there wasn't a lot of defensive value there in the 2nd.

Grade: C+

Marvin White - Provides MUCH needed depth at saftey and a potential future starter at SS. Has a mean streak that our defense really needs, my personal favorite pick of the draft.

Grade: A+

Jeff Rowe - It couldn't really be avoided, we needed a long term solution at QB. I'm not against the pick but I feel that we should have held off one more round, there were still a few quality project guys to be had.

Grade: C

Matt Toeaina - Strictly going off what I've looked at on scouting reports I like the pick. Big upside guy that is versatile. A lot of guys have pegged him as one of the sleepers of the draft. Always nice to grab a guy with this potential in the 6th plus he is at a position of need.

Grade: A

Santucci and Ndukwe I like but I'm not so sure they make the team. It's not really worth grading 7th rounders anyway haha.

Overall this draft left me feeling a lot better than last years which had me confused.

For a final grade I'd have to give it a B. I really like the Hall and White picks, Irons I think may have a bigger impact than even I expect. Two project guys in Rowe and Toeaina. This years group has some potential. If you included Ahmad in there then IMO it's an easy A.

[Kazkal]

True inless....Reggie beats him out lolz.

[Kazkal]

I graded A - now let's see some CFA's (Walter Thomas).

Who graded F and why?

troll

[Stripes]

Rowe will make the roster as the third QB.

Yup. Unless he ends up sucking hard and Erik Meyer goes off in training camp, Rowe will make the team. I don't expect either of those things to happen.