Why Do You Like This Draft!

[*SHRacerX*]

(04-30-2022, 11:35 PM)Emeritus Wrote:

I don't like this draft and I know I'm not alone. So please tell us how this will win the division when everyone in it got better except the Bengals. This was supposed to be a backfill draft of quality depth players but we got ....Nothing of the sort. Yes, we addressed the safety position but at what cost. No tightend No wideout 1 offensive lineman but who are your backups! The other teams in the division got better but we didn't! Stop talking yourself into it. Quinton Spain will be signed at some point but he costs a SB.

Dude, you are like a bacterial infection.  Nothing positive and makes you feel like crap...well, I am here to be your antibiotic.  And before you chastise me as a homer, hear me out:

The way Lou Anarumo uses our defensive backs is not a traditional:  "You play safety and you play CB".  He uses them like chess pieces and now that he has a group of guys that have bought in to his scheme (yes, that is directed at you Carlos), he held Mahommes to 3 points in TWO different second halves of games.

The depth behind Bell and Bates was not even paper thin, it was air.  They added two speed merchants that can help on special teams right away (people always seem to forget the importance of that) and can gain valuable experience in three safety looks.  It also helps to prepare them in the event of an injury, and Hill has even played some outside CB.   They also have great flexibility in the future contracts of Bates and Bell to help avoid a big drop off in play if they move on.

The CB they drafted is a guy they know a lot about given ZTs connections with Nebraska.  If they wanted that guy so badly that they gave up a 6th round pick to make sure they got him (as we feared, the run on CBs had already happened), then I support it.  They probably know him more than any other NFL team and they wanted to make sure they got him.  Ran a 4.38 at the combine and shined in positional drills.  As soiid as his coverage rates (Rated GOOD at 57 (!) coverage snaps against those three studs from Ohio State...all NFL talent), his strength is his physical nature of tackling and versatility.  Again, another chess piece for Lou.

I am not as high on the third round player, but here is what I see about him:  Production.  He may not have the most eye-popping traits, but he was very productive, with 7.5 sacks and 11.5 TFLs in the SEC last year.  Fits their mold of a high-energy guy that is nasty on the field.  As a fringe top 100 pick, I will take that.  

Volson, the fourth round pick, is a tough-as-nails OT that projects to guard here because Pollack said he has the toughness and strength to hold up inside, and comes with a ton of experience (played in 65 games and had 41 consecutive starts) in a pro-style offense.  That last line is not trivial.  So many of these tackles from spread teams have no experience holding a block more than one second.  He could be a real find in the end of round 4.  Pollack likes him, so I do as well.  

The fifth rounder, Tycen Anderson, is another athletic freak that will provide quality depth and rotational snaps as well as contribute right away on special teams.  

As far as not getting a TE, they clearly didn't think this  year's class had more to offer than Wilcox or even Moss at the end of the position group.  I am sure they will still likely sign a burner at WR to return kicks and compete for depth at the position, but in a group that starts with Chase, Higgins, and Boyd, how high a pick do you want to use on a guy that would essentially only be a depth player?  

If you think any one team in the division got better than the Bengals, please list them and describe their ENTIRE offseason maneuvers.   You have to discuss their losses with their gains.  I can have that discussion.  Other than that, the whining is sad and a little pathetic.  The defending AFC Champs signed THREE excellent upgrades on the offensive line.  THREE!  They lost Ogunjobi and CJ.  That's it.  They are leaps and bounds better than last year.  Show me another team that is better in our division and we can discuss.  Other than that, Who Dey!