Grade The Draft

[3wt]

(05-09-2023, 01:33 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Sure, there is some rawness to Washington as a pass catcher, but the blocking is likely better than anyone the Bengals have right now. 
And I can't see him being any worse in the passing game than Drew Sample.

If there was an injury concern with Washington, I wouldn't have expected the Steelers to take him.
As much as I don't like them, they are usually pretty solid when it comes to evaluating talent.
They may not be great at every pick, but they always seem to get some kind of decency.
Steelers didn't have an immediate need at TE given they had Freiermuth, so I think they took Washington believing he could be something special.

For the Bengals' sake, I hope the decision to trade back and the Steelers ultimately taking him right after doesn't bite them.

Yeah, that was a secondary concern for me.  It felt like it was a very acceptable risk in round three.   I love Battle and I think we got a steal there.  So I don't want to throw shade at people who know so much more than me.

But I feel that everyone in the league - and especially the media - is over preoccupied with the value of the picks: are they a reach or a steal.  And that is truly a legitimate factor for sure!

But sometimes that becomes subsidiary to the team you are putting together.  The Lions were roundhoused for taking Gibbs so early, but that is going to have a profound impact on their offense.

And I understand too that we are not an offense like the Steelers.   But I LOVE the potential for having a guy who can effectively block a defensive end (which Sample cannot do reliably) win contested balls that none of our personnel can do - even Higgins.   Just unstoppable in significant applications and multiple enough that a defense cannot know for sure you are doing.

Other than that, I love our draft and am pumped to see how it changes our game.