Fact of Fiction: Do the Bengals Invest in Guards

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(02-06-2021, 10:26 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Fiction: The Bengals don’t invest in guards in the draft.

While the Bengals have only drafted four offensive guards since 2005, that’s just a hair below the league average of 4.75.

In the last 15 years, Cincinnati has selected four offensive guards – Dan Santucci (2007 7th Round), Boling (2011 4th Round),  Zeitler (2012 1st Round) and Michael Jordan (2019 4th Round).

- - - - - - - - - -

Fact: The Bengals have leaned on undrafted free agents at an unusual rate

Alex Redmond. Fred Johnson. Trey Hopkins. Scott Brumfield. Ken Moyer. The list goes on.

Over the last 30 years, there have been 4,346 games where a team started an undrafted free agent at offensive guard, according to Football Reference. So during that time span, each NFL team on average has started an undrafted offensive guard in 135 total games.

The Bengals have started an undrafted free agent at offensive guard in 267 games over the last 30 years. As a result, the Bengals have started an undrafted offensive guard nearly 50 percent more often than the average NFL team.

I don't know how many people consider picking guys in the 4th+ rounds as "investing" in the position.

Also how many of the teams who drafted less than 4.75 guards since 2005 ALSO didn't spend any meaningful money on them in FA as well? 

Fact is the Bengals have drafted 3 guards in the first 3 rounds since Mike Brown took over. (He took over in the 1991 season, but it was after the draft already happened.) Not a single 1 of those 3 were with the Bengals longer than their rookie contract.


- - - - - - - - - -

I'm pretty sure they mean "nearly 100 percent more".  50 percent more of 135 would be 202.5

In other words, they start undrafted guards nearly twice as much as the norm.