02-17-2021, 10:11 AM
The Bengals have been the worst drafting team in the NFL since 2011, according to Profootballreference.com.
But not by a huge amount. We are one of 8 teams that got less value than expected out of the picks we made, based on charting all draft picks made over the last 10 years on a scale of expected approximate value per game compared to actual AV/G.
I think this is because we had an unexpectedly high number of failed first round picks this decade, with Dre Kirkpatrick (a long term starter but definitely not a great player), Kevin Zeitler (solid guard, never been pro bowl worthy), Tyler Eifert (who was great when healthy, but rarely healthy), Darqueze Dennard (If your first round pick is just a slot CB who can't get more than a 1 year deal on the open market, you messed up), Cedric Ogbuehi (ugh), WJIII (like Dre, a good starter, but not a great player by any means), John Ross (ugh), Billy Price (ugh), Jonah Williams (great when healthy, has ended both of his seasons injured thus far) and Joe Burrow (great rookie year, but ended in injury).
Also worth noting, we haven't drafted a pro bowl player in any round since 2013 in Tyler Eifert, who only made it once.
I don't think the Bengals' drafting issues are overblown relative to the rest of the NFL. There's a very real and very obvious deficiency in our drafting. But I don't think it's as severe as some on here think. I've seen people on the Bengals reddit say we need to draft Sewell because we can't trust the Bengals to find a good offensive lineman in the entire rest of the draft, so Sewell is our one and only shot. Obviously, that viewpoint is silly. But we do need to improve in our drafting if we hope to build a team around Burrow.
In Zac's two drafts so far, I would say he did really well in 2020, not so well in 2019. I'm willing to give 2019's Drew Sample, Ryan Finley and Michael Jordan selections a pass because he was a first year coach who spent a fair amount of the scouting window finding his coaching staff, so maybe they didn't have time to evaluate all the players. Especially since I think he got great value in 2020 with Burrow, Higgins, Wilson, ADG and Adeniji.
Here's hoping he continues the 2020 trend in 2021. We need a really good draft this year if we hope to compete.
But not by a huge amount. We are one of 8 teams that got less value than expected out of the picks we made, based on charting all draft picks made over the last 10 years on a scale of expected approximate value per game compared to actual AV/G.
I think this is because we had an unexpectedly high number of failed first round picks this decade, with Dre Kirkpatrick (a long term starter but definitely not a great player), Kevin Zeitler (solid guard, never been pro bowl worthy), Tyler Eifert (who was great when healthy, but rarely healthy), Darqueze Dennard (If your first round pick is just a slot CB who can't get more than a 1 year deal on the open market, you messed up), Cedric Ogbuehi (ugh), WJIII (like Dre, a good starter, but not a great player by any means), John Ross (ugh), Billy Price (ugh), Jonah Williams (great when healthy, has ended both of his seasons injured thus far) and Joe Burrow (great rookie year, but ended in injury).
Also worth noting, we haven't drafted a pro bowl player in any round since 2013 in Tyler Eifert, who only made it once.
I don't think the Bengals' drafting issues are overblown relative to the rest of the NFL. There's a very real and very obvious deficiency in our drafting. But I don't think it's as severe as some on here think. I've seen people on the Bengals reddit say we need to draft Sewell because we can't trust the Bengals to find a good offensive lineman in the entire rest of the draft, so Sewell is our one and only shot. Obviously, that viewpoint is silly. But we do need to improve in our drafting if we hope to build a team around Burrow.
In Zac's two drafts so far, I would say he did really well in 2020, not so well in 2019. I'm willing to give 2019's Drew Sample, Ryan Finley and Michael Jordan selections a pass because he was a first year coach who spent a fair amount of the scouting window finding his coaching staff, so maybe they didn't have time to evaluate all the players. Especially since I think he got great value in 2020 with Burrow, Higgins, Wilson, ADG and Adeniji.
Here's hoping he continues the 2020 trend in 2021. We need a really good draft this year if we hope to compete.
![[Image: oN5QAdY.png]](https://i.imgur.com/oN5QAdY.png)
