Media Draft Grades

[Okeana]

(04-30-2017, 12:10 PM)Bengalbug Wrote: Mel kipper on 2005 Cincinnati Bengals: A-

Defensive end David Pollack and linebacker Odell Thurman were teammates at Georgia and are immediate upgrades for the front seven on Marvin Lewis' defense.

and thanks to his great physical attributes receiver Chris Henry is a good gamble in the third round despite some character questions.

I'm guessing this is a pretty depressing draft for Bengals fans. Thurman and Pollack weren't big contributors for different reasons and Chris Henry should probably get credit for helping the NFL overhaul its conduct code for players. I'm not sure we should increase the draft grade because of this though, so I won't be nice. Another big miss by Kiper. I'd give the Bengals points since Henry and Pollack's failures weren't their fault, but I'm not in a good mood today. This is a "C-" draft at best

I think that was a fair assessment given the players.  These guys had a lot of problems off the field and there is only so much a team can do.  Thurman could have been one of the best linebackers at the time, but the money gave him access to his demons and we all know what happened.  Pollack is just a sad situation.  Henry had  turmoil in his life that eventually killed him, but he was a great player for us on the field.  

Our team now is much better than it was 10 years ago and our coaching staff is wiser and the locker room has high character guys.  No team is perfect