2008 Bengals Draft Recap

The 2008 NFL Draft has come and gone, and the Bengals went down the middle on their 10 draft selections, taking five players on offense and five on defense.

Initial Reactions: 

1st Round:  The Keith Rivers pick was solid, but you have to wonder why they would be willing to give up  a 3rd and 5th round pick for Shaun Rogers yet won't give up a 3rd to move up and take Sedrick Ellis at #7.  Regardless, the Rivers pick is a solid pick who doesn't miss tackles and gives the Bengals someone to count on in a very cloudy, if crowded, linebacker situation.  That being said, the Cowboys and Saints DESTROYED the Bengals in this draft, trading up to take players that you have to assume were high on the Bengals board.   

2nd Round:  Coastal Carolina has a football team?  Well they do and the Bengals found their wideout Jerome Simpson, who impressed Bengals coaches at the combine and on film.  I understand we need receivers, but I was in attendance at Monster Park in San Francisco for the 49ers-Bengals game last year.  Chris Henry was healthy, Chad Johnson was healthy, TJ Houshmandzadeh was healthy.  Guess what.  The Bengals STILL LOST THE GAME.  Why?  Because Shaun "Montana" Hill threw all over a Bengals defense that can't stop anyone.  I refuse to understand the Bengals philosophy here.  The Bengals front line (specifically pass rush) has absolutely killed this team in the Marvin Lewis era, and it has made the Bengals shaky secondary look worse.  Carson Palmer is not the kind of QB who will pout over not having elite receivers to throw to.  If he went 5 for 11 every game and the Bengals went 11-5, he would be the happiest guy on the team.  Simpson very likely would have been around in the 3rd round, maybe later.  It doesn't matter how good Simpson ends up being...the Bengals got poor value. 

3rd Round:  Finally, the Bengals address their needs at defensive tackle with Auburn's Pat Sims, and finally I can end my hunger strike that began after the second round pick that left Trevor Laws, Limas Sweed & others on the board.  The Bengals were fortunate that Sims was still here in the third round, and they can now use him in a rotation with Thornton (how long will he be here?), Peko, Myers, etc.  For their compensatory pick, the Bengals pick up a kick returner in Andre Caldwell (Florida) who could project to be a solid third or fourth receiver for Carson Palmer.  Surprised to get another WR here, honestly.  At least the guy has big game experience playing in the SEC.

4th Round:  Anthony Collins out of Kansas is a solid offensive tackle who will project to play right tackle in the pros and hopefully will have the versatility to play guard as well.  The Bengals have always been decent at developing offensive lineman, and you have to like the pick especially with the new uncertainty surrounding Levi Jones.   

5th Round:  You have to shake your head.  After all the trouble with Chris Henry, still fresh in everyone's mind, the Bengals take a guy with a ton of baggage.  Jason Shirley (DT, Fresno State) was mentioned right here on WDR as a potential Bengal, due to his underachieving past, brushes with the law, and undeniable physical gifts.  He was kicked off the team for conduct detrimental to the team, he still has a trial (May 21st) for suspicion of DUI after crashing his car into a building. This was a classic Bengals pick.  Go to bengals.com and check out Marvin's presser in the 5th round...he looks exasperated over this pick.  This smells an awful lot like a Bengals management pick, instead of a Marvin Lewis pick.  He his a massive talent at defensive tackle that could be the run stopper of the future, but hopefully he won't make Chris Henry look like Sean Casey.

6th Round:  Corey Lynch out of Appalachian State is probably best known for blocking a game winning field goal attempt against Michigan (see below).  The guy is a playmaker and looks decent in coverage.  Should be an immediate contributor in the (very) young safety rotation and on special teams. A one-dimensional tight end was the Bengals compensatory pick, Matthew Sherry out of Villanova (projected to be an undrafted free agent).  If nothing else, the Bengals are proving once and for all they do have the resources to scout small schools (Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Villanova)

7th Round:  Angelo Craig (DE/OLB) is a UC product who can probably fill a spot on the practice squad this season, and possibly play special teams later in the year. More character questions here however...hopefully the Bengals made a call to Brian Kelly to get the scoop.  Mario Urrutia out of Louisville was another player mentioned here on WDR, and is a tall WR (6'5 3/8") target for red zone chances...but he does not look the best route runner in the world.  Frankly, there is a possibility he might be the worst.  Not sure if he can help on special teams, either.  However, the message has been sent:  Chad, don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya. 

I hate giving out grades in the NFL Draft...especially since not one of these players has played one second in the NFL.  But, as Marvin Lewis will say, we've earned where we are.  Bottom line, the Bengals did not do enough in the draft to improve their defense, which is unacceptable.  And right now, the Bengals are staring down the barrel of a 5-11 season.

OVERALL DRAFT GRADE:  C-

Comments

[JoseOle]

I think going into the draft that Cincy needed Ellis or Rivers. Ellis was gone and I don't know why they didn't trade down to get him, but oh well. Rivers makes a good LB team, and Sims and Shirley add bulk to DT. If Shirley keeps his nose clean great, if not it's another 5th rounder down the drain. I'm concerned that no RB was taken this draft. The TE and WR picks in the 6th and 7th rounds seem like wastes when they could have drafted Lehman from Illinois instead, he's a stud that didn't run well but is worth a look. Maybe Okum from Texas instead of Shirley would have been better, but I like the draft and hopefully these guys can mesh with what we have.