draft grades by picks

[redsbengalsbucks]

Here are my way to early draft grades by pick

1. Love the OT position pick, don't like the fact that he is hurt but he is a very good OT. B-

2. Hate the OT position pick and don't think he was even the best available OT at the time D

3. Love the TE pick, he is the best all around TE in the draft, fits the blocking needed at the position, maybe a little early B

4. Love the LB pick, some character issues but first round talent late in the third round B

5. needed a FS and he seems to fit the part B

6. Here is the DT with rush capabilities not bad for the place in the draft B

7. TE with UDFA talent horrible pick F-

8. Another FS one of them should provide the depth needed B

9. Fast WR with ST experience, that should satisfy the needed depth and get rid of Tate A

[HoosierCat]

Ogboobooie: Bengals used their top pick on an older OT with back issues who is coming off an ACL injury and will likely start the year on PUP, if he plays at all. In doing so the Bengals psssed on several players who would have filled legit needs and been good value at 21. Grade: F.

Fisher: this pick only re-emphasizes the foolishness of the first pick. But Fisher is a legit first-round talent who slipped to the Bengals in the second, can play right away if needed and immediately becomes the first guy off the bench. Grade: A

Kroft: solid prospect who can block and catch. Fills an immediate need; will see action on offense from day 1. Grade: B+

Dawson: legitimate candidate for steal of the draft if he can keep his head screwed on straight. Can stuff the run and cover. Could start immediately depending on Burfict's health. Should probably start over Lamur anyhow. Maybe over FNR. Grade: A

Overall I'd give it. C+ so far just because you have to weight it towards the top and IMHO they blew it badly at 21. Had the taken someone like Brown or Landon Collins at 21 this would have been an A.

[princeton]

1. I'd have gone Macolm Brown DT

2. good pick; I'd have done that

3. what I know about Bengals is that they have no clue about what TE to draft. Also, they just seem to look for ways to keep Ryan Hewitt off the field; should be looking for ways to keep him on the field. I'd have taken Grady Jarrett even though I've already gone DT. Got to get more out of that position. alternatively, Derron Smith, because Bengals play nickel all the time

3. nice pick

overall, I'm unimpressed for this season, but a line with the two new tackles, Zeitler/Whit as guards and Boling as center does intrigue me for 2016-17. Probably never happen

would have liked a round 3 statement like this out of the Bengals' war room. "We needed a TE so that Gutless couldn't be re-signed. But we clearly don't know how to pick one. So basically we asked Jay Hayes to rank guys, then looked at the magazines to see who Jay didn't like but that amateurs did, then picked the guy with highest magazine rating and lowest Jay rating. Total crapshoot, total Costanza move, but we have confronted our limitations and tried to use them to our advantage. If this works, we'll use a same approach to select our next quarterback"

[HoosierCat]

I'd bump it up to a B- after day three.

[volcom69]

Bengals said this draft was about getting bigger and physical not about the sexy picks. I'd say they did that so I'll give them a B+.

[Dimster28]

i give them A+ as of now. I dont know anything about any of college players as I dont watch college football, so draft will be always A+ to me until i see their action as a Bengals

[gregcook68]

IF and ONLY IF, Atkins, Burfict, and M. Johnson, and these draft picks can play to their potential, AND, IF there are no season ending injuries of major players, after the first half of the game in week 1, they have as good of a shot at the AFC championship as any other AFC team......but that's some BIG ifs and ands.

[cincyhokie]

I'll give them a B. Would have bumped to an A if they would have handled the first round better, i.e. at least trading down and getting some extra picks. Either that or forgoing the 2nd OT pick and getting an impact player that could contribute this season.

So a solid B. And I do have to admit I feel somewhat like an A-hole after they absolutely killed the draft since the Phil Dawson pick.

Bizarre draft. So bad, then it turned genius. We shall forever know of this draft as the "Full Retard" draft. Insane.

[TJJackson]

I am renowned for hating drafts, so I cant change out of my skin now, it'd be too hard on some of you and you'd wonder if someone hacked my account

so, of course, a big ole F minus minus

[gregcook68]

i give them A+ as of now. I dont know anything about any of college players as I dont watch college football, so draft will be always A+ to me until i see their action as a Bengals

Well said dimster. That's why they're the coaches and we aren't.

[HoosierCat]

Nfl.com likes the bengals draft.

/>http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000488889/article/2015-nfl-draft-final-quicksnap-grades-for-afc-east-teams?campaign=Twitter_nfl_cfb

[kingwilly]

Nfl.com likes the bengals draft.

/>http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000488889/article/2015-nfl-draft-final-quicksnap-grades-for-afc-east-teams?campaign=Twitter_nfl_cfb

They gave it an A+...

Well, I deleted my draft grade post. It was away too negative and I sounded like a big whiner, so I gave myself an F and deleted it.

Here's hoping Big Cedric heals up and delivers.

I do agree that from Kroft forward, the draft came together. Still concerned the depth at WR isn't enough quality but what can they do at this point...

[ArmyBengal]

Gave my thesis presentation today and have been sleeping since I got back home. Totally spent after that day.

That being said, i'm in a good spot to take a look at the haul of players. Here's where I am.

1. Ogbuhei- I would have loved this pick in round two. With Malcom Brown sitting there, I call it a loss (for the time). D

2. Jake Fisher- Odd call after Ogbuhei, but wow, what great value. Getting him after Brown would have been special. A

3. Tyler Kroft- I think this was early for him, but there was a need and they had him rated high. B

3. Paul Dawson- Great value for one of the most instinctive LB's in the draft ?? Sure. A

4. Josh Shaw- 3rd round talent and CB depth isn't a bad thing. B

4. Marcus Hardison- Another value pick and one of my favorites. Interior pass rusher who used to be a DE. I like this pick. A

5. CJ Uzomah- Not a huge fan of this pick, but knew we would take two TE's. Upside ?? C

6. Derron Smith- 3rd rated FS in the draft by many accounts. Amazing value in the 6th. Very solid pick IMHO. A

7. Mario Alford- 28.6 kick return avg with two return TD's last season. It will be fun to watch this kid for sure. A

People may not like this draft much, but I think it was pretty solid for them again.

Has to be a B+.

While in time Ogbuhei may be the next coming, I would have given this draft an A+ had they actually grabbed Brown in the first round.

[Scottishbengal]

OK, I don't get to see college action so I can only draw my conclusions from what I read online via the draft guru's about the players. I was disappointed to see the d-line not addressed until the 6th pick but there does seem to be some potentially good pick up which will help in the future (maybe) but not helping now.

1. OGBUEHI: Like the OT position pick, Not overly concerned that he is rehabbing ACL (trust the medical staff to have done the research) but very concerned that he has a "weak back". DT Malcolm Brown and other OT's still available so while this pick offers possible future value, at this moment in time I think there were much better options. F

2. FISHER: ANOTHER OT ...WTF ? - makes the first pick very questionable. I like what I've read about the player but would rather have seen a Brown/Fisher (or even Brown/Ogbeuhi as the coaches see to want to flike him so much) tandem pick for the first two rounds, I don't really understand this logic C

3. KROFT. Good pick - getting back to addressing the issues. Good all round TE player. B

4. DAWSON: Another solid pick. Not concerned about his "testing results" as he'll be playing football not running shuttles. If anywhere can help a player with character issues then it's Cincinnati so this is a really good pick. B+

5. SHAW. I see this as a Safety pick rather than a CB pick not sure he'd be able to fill in a CB role. Should provide cover for when Ghee gets injured (not IF but WHEN). C

6. HARDISON: Listed as a DE but drafted as a DT to sit behind Peko for a year. B

7. UZOMAH: Another TE when we still haven't addressed Corner nor Wide Receiver. This is questionable strategy and makes me scratch my head about Picks 1 and 2 even more. D-

8. SMITH. Another Safety?? Strategy at stockpiling depth in certain areas whereas other areas remain unattended. C

9. ALFORD. Too small for a Bengals style wideout so assuming he has been drafted for kick returns. Does that mean that Tate is moving on or that Tate will feature more as the slot receiver? Would rather returners used that role as they push their way into the team at their optimum position rather than have a guy who can return only and offer nothing else. C. If they play him slot and Tate departs then this bumps up to a B+

OVERALL GRADE C

[UK Bengal]

Like hoosier posted best draft out of the AFC North teams according to NFL.com

I too don't see college football due to it being on a channel I don't subscribe too but I do know that Dawson was the steal of the draft in my eyes.

For sticking to their plan I give them A

[Scottishbengal]

Like hoosier posted best draft out of the AFC North teams according to NFL.com

I too don't see college football due to it being on a channel I don't subscribe too but I do know that Dawson was the steal of the draft in my eyes.

For sticking to their plan I give them A

If only we knew what "the plan" was we could grade it. I think the Bengals effed up with the first two picks when D-line impact was available as one of the shouts.

NFL.com grading is inconsistent. Bengals graded a B minus, an A plus, and a straight A which they grade as an A plus overall??

Perhaps a B+ or an A if you average it out, but overall to get an A+ you'd need A+, A+, A+ .....go figure the maths!

[HoosierCat]

Three years from now, we may look back on this draft and agree with the NFL.com guy. But in the here and now it's a hard draft to like. Both the first and second picks could spend the whole season on the bench, while the two third rounders could be forced into starting roles due to roster holes and injuries the team declined to address in free agency. Finally, in the later rounds the team focused on positions like safety, DT and WR where there are already roster logjams because they signed a bunch of tier two and three FAs.

It's all too easy to see a scenario where most of the guys taken in the last four rounds either don't make the team or end up on the taxi squad; the two guys at the top don't play; And Kroft and Dawson are so-so because, well, they're rookies. So if you were looking for a draft designed to get the team over the playoff hump this year, it doesn't look like this is it.

[HoosierCat]

B- from Mocking the Draft.

/>http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-mock-draft/2015/5/2/8535351/2015-nfl-draft-grades-jaguars-falcons-cowboys-broncos-patriots-packers-giants-steelers-seahawks

B+ from Prisco.

/>http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/pete-prisco/25172342/nfl-draft-grades-jaguars-dolphins-ravens-cardinals-score-highest

B+ from SI.

/>http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/05/02/2015-nfl-draft-grades-winners-losers

[princeton]

how does a team have a very good draft without actually getting better? it's a paradox

I liked the defensive value in the late rounds, and suspect that there are a lot of NFL players in the Bengals draft. I hate when the Bengals reach and draft a need guy who just cannot play. On the other hand, I'm beginning to understand why Paul Brown only drafted for need... because in spite of making decent picks, I don't think that the Bengals are actually a better team now than before the draft.

1. Bengals put zero pressure on Andrew Luck last year, against a pretty bad Colts offensive line. I don't see that changing after this offseason and draft. I know, Geno needed a year and MJ was missed and now has returned. But maybe Geno is toast; and MJ really hasn't done much for the past two years. I'm glad to see the Hardison selection, but it's a lot to expect the salavation of a pass rush from a DT and 4th rounder.

2. Peko's just terrible; I liked Pat Sims three years ago, but not sure that he's a savior and there are no other big tackle options coming from this draft.

3. Bengals just had to cast out Gresham, but I'm convinced that they have no idea how to pick TEs, so I don't expect much from the third and fifth rounder. I'd grab a free agent FB to run those 5-10 plays that a FB is used, and make Hewitt a fulltime TE to put him on the field 50 plays a game. Instead, Hewitt will be limited to his 5-10 plays and we get TEs that probably can't play.

4. even though we're now stacked with OL talent, much of every game plan will still depend on Russell Bodine. so, did that fix anything at all?

5. for a team facing a huge contract issue (AJ Green), they sure made a lot of picks to address lesser contract issues (OT, safety, even TE), didn't they? and for a team that started Brandon Tate and Rex Freaking Burkhead at wide receiver, they sure addressed that position in a deep draft, didn't they?

rant over. it's easy to poke holes; nobody goes into draft and solves everything. You do see odd drafts and you do see good drafts; but I've never really seen such an odd good draft.

[redsbengalsbucks]

WR is taken care of with the return of MJ and the FA pick-up from Oakland. The 7 th rounder looks like he can help stretch a D as well.

This draft took care of all the holes I saw, I would have taken a LB in place of the second TE and Moved the second OT to later in the draft.

Im happy overall with this draft and think a B for the present and an A for the future is possible.

[HoosierCat]

B+ from Mel.

[Wraith]

B from me. If they had held their water in the first or taken the deal from Arizona I would have given them an A.

[skyline]

But in the here and now it's a hard draft to like.

No, it's not. I like it. Here. And now.

That was easy.

I don't think there were any life-altering game changers available in the first or second rounds (yes, that includes Dupree). I have no problem with the BPA approach, and feel pretty good that our o-line may be set for the next 5 years.

Love the Dawson pick and feel good about Shaw. Also pretty pleased with the TE.

My only nitpick is the 2nd TE selection. I don't really see the use in that one, but fingers crossed that I'll be proven wrong.

Still can't find my Lumina, though. Has anyone seen it?

EDIT: Oh, I was supposed to grade the draft, right? A+++++++++++++++++

[HoosierCat]

Still can't find my Lumina, though. Has anyone seen it?

Gunther took it after you used all three first picks on offense. Haven't seen him or it since but the wife was driving by you place and says there's a big cube of crushed metal on your lawn.

[Scottishbengal]

But in the here and now it's a hard draft to like.

No, it's not. I like it. Here. And now.

That was easy.

I don't think there were any life-altering game changers available in the first or second rounds (yes, that includes Dupree). I have no problem with the BPA approach, and feel pretty good that our o-line may be set for the next 5 years.

SET for the next 5 years or only likely to last 5 years?? Ogbeuhi's weak back is, in my mind, a major concern - more so than his ACL.

How did the O rate in the NFL last year compared to the D ?? How have the Bengals addressed this ??