Wasn't a fan. With draft grades!

[muskiesfan]

With the exception of the K, I thought this was a great draft. They did a really good job adding talent and getting value.

As for Ross, the team struggled in the red zone last year. Ross led D1 in red zone catches, red zone yards, and red zone TDs. He's a pretty complete receiver. Obviously needs to adjust to the NFL game, but he's everything you could want in a rookie WR. Good hands, good separation, runs good routes, and has amazing speed. In a couple of seasons, Green, Ross, Boyd, and Core could be near the very top of the league as a receiving corps. This pick was a slam dunk A to me.

I get tired of the talk of Mixon's woes. Kid mad a mistake, paid the price, and has been clean since. Have you seen the way these same fans talk about Chris Henry? Fans pick and choose who they are willing to forgive and who they're not. For some reason, a lot don't want to look past a mistake Mixon made a couple of years ago. From a strictly talent standpoint, Mixon was the best RB in the draft, a top 10 talent, and an excellent fit for this team and they drafted him at 48. Value and talent are both A's here. This kid could be really special.

Willis was an obvious A. With the first 3 picks, the Bengals came away with 3 of the top 50 players in the draft, with 2 of them being top 10-15 talent. If we're going pure talent and not going by positions and such, these first 3 picks were in the top 25 overall. Even if they miss on the rest of their picks, these first 3 could pay huge dividends for this team for years to come.

For some reason, people are just blinded by Ross' speed. He is so much more. Mixon isn't going to get a fair shake because of 1 mistake he made a couple of years ago. At least people see the value of Willis. There were still other great picks (Lawson and Malone especially), but just the first 3 picks made this draft an easy A.