Rd. 1: OT Jonah Williams - I was hoping for a Devin, but this is a really good pick and helps our biggest offensive weakness
Rd. 2: TE Drew Sample - Wasn't a fan when it happened, and I still think there were better players available but he will have a role and do it well
Rd. 3: LB Germaine Pratt - Really good pick. Big, athletic with room to grow. And he was productive
Rd. 4: QB Ryan Finley - Has the tools to be a good backup. McCarron-ish, but without the hot wife.
Rd. 4: DT Renell Wren - Big and athletic. I think he's my favorite pick
Rd. 4: OL Michael Jordan - Solid player could develop into a starter, can backup all 3 interior positions.
Rd. 6: RB Trayveon Williams - Love this pick. Kid is productive and will allow us to let Gio walk so we can play Mixon in a couple years.
Rd. 6: LB Deshaun Davis - Meh. Sounds like he is good against the run though and may be a solid Teams player
Rd. 6: RB Rodney Anderson - Could be a backup bell cow if Mixon goes down. If he can stay healthy himself.
Rd. 7: CB Jordan Brown - Good size and athleticism. Good ball skills. Solid for a 7th round pick.

Overall a B+ draft IMO.

(04-27-2019, 10:05 PM)Jason_NC Wrote: Rd. 1: OT Jonah Williams - I was hoping for a Devin, but this is a really good pick and helps our biggest offensive weakness
Rd. 2: TE Drew Sample - Wasn't a fan when it happened, and I still think there were better players available but he will have a role and do it well
Rd. 3: LB Germaine Pratt - Really good pick. Big, athletic with room to grow. And he was productive
Rd. 4: QB Ryan Finley - Has the tools to be a good backup. McCarron-ish, but without the hot wife.
Rd. 4: DT Renell Wren - Big and athletic. I think he's my favorite pick
Rd. 4: OL Michael Jordan - Solid player could develop into a starter, can backup all 3 interior positions.
Rd. 6: RB Trayveon Williams - Love this pick. Kid is productive and will allow us to let Gio walk so we can play Mixon in a couple years.
Rd. 6: LB Deshaun Davis - Meh. Sounds like he is good against the run though and may be a solid Teams player
Rd. 6: RB Rodney Anderson - Could be a backup bell cow if Mixon goes down. If he can stay healthy himself.
Rd. 7: CB Jordan Brown - Good size and athleticism. Good ball skills. Solid for a 7th round pick.

Overall a B+ draft IMO.

Driskel has a hot wife if that is what we want in our backup QB's.

(04-27-2019, 10:05 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Have the same feeling Sunset. Nothing against White as i truly believe he was the best LB in this class, but Pratt was the 2nd best in my opinion and is a better tackler with a lot of experience in coverage. Former Safety. Bush is a very good blitzer but he is more of a one trick pony that we can take advantage of as long as our TE's and RB's pick up the blitz properly.

Getting Sample to go along with Mixon and Gio was an underrated get to say the least IMO.

Drew Sample might just be my favorite pick of this Bengals draft.  Yes, I'm partial to selfless blocking types, and I was a huge fan of Ryan Hewitt and Reggie Kelly.  He's one of those unsung hero types that I was talking about, in another thread.  The things he will do won't show up on the stat sheet, but the productivity of the offense should be noticeably improved.

(04-27-2019, 10:26 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Drew Sample might just be my favorite pick of this Bengals draft.  Yes, I'm partial to selfless blocking types, and I was a h! fan of Ryan Hewitt and Reggie Kelly.  He's one of those unsung hero types that I was talking about, in another thread.  The things he will do won't show up on the stat , but the productivity of the offense should be noticeably improved.

There is nothing not to like about Sample!
I thought he went a little high, but who knows. I liked the pick because we were able to get the people they wanted. He will be more than a blocking The.

(04-27-2019, 08:55 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: This is the thing that I think ML struggled with many times during his time here, just sorta bounced around in all directions.

I'm hoping ZT has planned his work and is working his plan ! Perhaps, I'm hoping there's a method to the madness ? Sample was a reach in a lot of peoples eyes but if Mixon runs for 1,750 it won't seem all that bad.

Agreed. Under Marv we seemed to have annual themes more than any actual identity.

(04-27-2019, 09:38 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Well, thanks to the board, I'm all caught up on what I missed today.  I was forced to drive down to the beach today, and there was no ESPN radio in those parts..

All in all, I like our draft.  They seemed to go into it with purpose and direction, and from what I can tell they found what they were looking for.  They put great stock into the OL, brought in a TE and RBs that all can block their asses off, and picked up what I consider the best 2nd tier QB in this draft.  They spent quality picks on defense, getting stronger up the middle, 2 LBs a DT and a CB.

Evidently, the team saw much of the same holes in the team as many of us around here were all squawking about.  I would like to have seen a WR taken somewhere in there, but they did not.  Evidently they must think that there is already enough WR talent that is yet to be developed/utilized properly.

I was surprised to not see a WR. Guess our string of WR's in the 6th-7th round was more of a Marv thing.

(04-27-2019, 10:26 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Drew Sample might just be my favorite pick of this Bengals draft.  Yes, I'm partial to selfless blocking types, and I was a huge fan of Ryan Hewitt and Reggie Kelly.  He's one of those unsung hero types that I was talking about, in another thread.  The things he will do won't show up on the stat sheet, but the productivity of the offense should be noticeably improved.

Selfless blocking types are what win Championships.

Completely understand why Sample might be your favorite pick Sunset. Sample has good hands too so he is not a one trick pony. I said it in another thread that Fant might of been riskier if he fell and he was taken in the first. Fant is not a blocker, we needed a blocker for Zac's system and Sample was the best blocking TE in this class.

My favorite pick is Pratt as i believe he is exactly what the Doctor ordered at Linebacker.

We desperately needed a LB that can tackle and cover and play SAM. Germaine Pratt can do this for us.

(04-27-2019, 10:45 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Selfless blocking types are what win Championships.

Completely understand why Sample might be your favorite pick Sunset. Sample has good hands too so he is not a one trick pony. I said it in another thread that Fant might of been riskier if he fell and he was taken in the first. Fant is not a blocker, we needed a blocker for Zac's system and Sample was the best blocking TE in this class.

My favorite pick is Pratt as i believe he is exactly what the Doctor ordered at Linebacker.

We desperately needed a LB that can tackle and cover and play SAM. Germaine Pratt can do this for us.

I like the Pratt pick, as well.  Many around here have been chatting up the idea of using a Safety at LB, for a while now.  What a better way to test the idea, than picking a guy that has already made the transition at the college level?  A fast guy that tackles well, and can cover?  Sounds just like what we needed.

(04-27-2019, 10:26 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Drew Sample might just be my favorite pick of this Bengals draft.  Yes, I'm partial to selfless blocking types, and I was a huge fan of Ryan Hewitt and Reggie Kelly.  He's one of those unsung hero types that I was talking about, in another thread.  The things he will do won't show up on the stat sheet, but the productivity of the offense should be noticeably improved.

Thats kinda my take on sample. I like the guy but i also get the reach criticism.  Who knows the bengals might have thought someone was going to grab him before their next pick. And if he works out and has good production then it matters not that much really where he was drafted. I say get the guy you want, bpa doesnt always work out.

Having a guy that can truck people and make it to the second level for more blocks do wonders for the run game. Can be the difference between a 5 yrd run and a 20 yard + run. Sure he might not get 15 tds by himself, but he could definitely help create a bunch. 

Plus, i like having a powerful run game, its my type of football.

Overall, i like this draft. I think it is my favorite in awhile.

(04-27-2019, 09:38 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Well, thanks to the board, I'm all caught up on what I missed today.  I was forced to drive down to the beach today, and there was no ESPN radio in those parts..

All in all, I like our draft.  They seemed to go into it with purpose and direction, and from what I can tell they found what they were looking for.  They put great stock into the OL, brought in a TE and RBs that all can block their asses off, and picked up what I consider the best 2nd tier QB in this draft.  They spent quality picks on defense, getting stronger up the middle, 2 LBs a DT and a CB.

Evidently, the team saw much of the same holes in the team as many of us around here were all squawking about.  I would like to have seen a WR taken somewhere in there, but they did not.  Evidently they must think that there is already enough WR talent that is yet to be developed/utilized properly.

I'm really anxious to see what Callahan and ZT  can do with Ross and the rest of the bad news Bengals receivers in the passing game. And Mixon and Gio as well.

I'm not saying Ross is Jerry Rice 2.0 but I don't think Marvin and Co. did him many favors.

What I liked about this draft is that it is evident ZT has a plan and was drafting to implement his plan. He has been working hands on with the offense and as such saw the chronic issues with controlling the line of scrimmage which is the core issue behind the spotty run game and also the issues getting long plays off. So it sure looks like his priority A1 is fixing the blocking up front.

So I am going to list them by their rankings(mine) instead of in order they were drafted...

Jonah Williams T...overall rank 6. We got him at 11. We got best player on the board here.
Germaine Pratt...Overall rank 108. We got him at 72. Linebacker class was weak. We needed this pick here.
Trayveon Williams...Overall rank 114. We got him at 182. Running backs always fall. He was good value.
Renell Wren...Overall rank 120. We got him at 125. True prospect with decent ceiling.
Ryan Finley,,,Overall rank 126. We got him at 104. No threat to Andy, Just a better back up
Jordan Brown...overall rank 132. We got him at 233. This seems like a steal.
Michael Jordan..Overall rank 137. We got him at 136. I'm guessing he backs up Boling?
Drew Sample...Overall rank 151. We got him at 52. Blocking TE's don't rate high. For us they did in this one
Rodney Anderson..Overall rank 201. We got him at 211. If not for injuries, he ranks higher.
Deshaun Davis...Overall rank 331. We got him at 210. Not elite but smart player who can tackle.

So it seems in the earlier rounds we kind of fluttered. We knew we needed a linebacker and grabbed a decent one in Pratt. Sample was an obvious type they wanted, sort of a gut pick they made. I'm going to give them a B.
On a side note they ignored WR but FA'd Stanley Morgan JR and he ranked 139. He could make the team.

Edit...I originally gave them a C plus. But on second thought, they got 8 guys..9 if you count Morgan Jr..in the top 150ish. I upgraded it to a B.
I was somewhat disappointed after day 2, but it is a better draft overall when you look at it.

Competeition for every position group except for the Safeties, WRs, Kicker or Punter. While I wish that they drafted another Safety, I do like the fact that they didn't draft a WR.

Green - Star
Boyd - Star - at least one, maybe both will be re-signed.
Ross - I think Taylor has plays designed for him
Core - Better than you think and plays Special Teams. Give him a season under Taylor.
Erickson - Kind of surprised Cincy didn't go for a returner somewhere in there. Looks like he's here for at least another season.
Malone - Completely disappeared after having a ball bounce off of his chest for an INT early in the season
Tate - Last year's training camp "superstar"

Seriously, how many 2019 WRs from the 4th round or later are going to knock someone off that list? Remember rookies don't get the playbook until they sign the contract and all of the above WRs have had Callahan's new playbook for months now. Too many times the ML led Bengals wasted mid round picks by trying to replace the back end of the roster. 2016 6th rounder Core was forced into a starting role as a rookie and, while he didn't dominate he also didn't suck. He gained valuable experience that you can build on. To be honest, he looked a lot like a young Marvin Jones finding his way in this league. Then they spend a 4th round on Malone and put him over Core in 2017, then benched Malone in 2018.

Part of the reason that Burkhead developed into a good pro is because the Bengals allowed him to grow into the position by not drafting a mid round RB to replace him. They drafted a couple of 6th or 7th rounders but he beat them out. That's the approach Taylor seems to have with the WRs, they had bigger needs in the first few rounds and whatever was available after that would already be way behind all of the WRs already on the roster.

Complain all you want about Core or Malone, but if your season is live or die based on the performance of your 5th and 6th WRs, it's best that have as much experience as possible, good or bad.

(04-28-2019, 05:09 AM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote:  and all of the above WRs have had Callahan's new playbook for months now. 

A couple of weeks. They do not get the playbook until 1st day of practice.