RG Jonathan Cooper

[CJD]

First round Offensive Guards are an interesting case. Because, if you're drafting an offensive guard in the first round, you're basically expecting them to be an all pro or pro bowl type player. Otherwise, you could just draft an offensive tackle and convert them to offensive guard (since the position is widely considered easier than tackle in virtually every way).

I mean, you can see that even on our team, with 2 undrafted free agents, a 4th round pick and a 5th round pick occupying our guard depth.

I don't know if that's conceptually accurate, but that's the perception around the league.

So whenever you see a first round guard who ends up being a bust (or not being a pro bowler), it makes you wonder just how below the curve they actually are. If an offensive lineman wasn't even good enough to justify playing him at tackle in college, how could he make a positive impact on a team in the NFL at all?

That seems unfair to guards, especially since SOMEONE has to play the position in college, after all. So it's unfortunate when you see a player like Cooper or Warmack, who were actually considered not only good enough to be drafted in the top 10, but also drafted in the top 10 as guards, end up being busts.

I wish Cooper the best, but I see no reason why he'd be an upgrade to this team. He seems to have been given multiple chances and hasn't stuck anywhere. I know we as Bengals fans have grown accustomed to "salvaging" other teams' busts (see Pacman and Nelson as recent examples), but I just don't think this one would work out.