Us not getting anything from the...

[*SHRacerX*]

(01-24-2017, 11:10 AM)milksheikh Wrote: Us not getting anything from the last 3 first round picks has hurt us and I think it was one of the reasons we sort of had a "decline" this year.


2014: Darqueze Dennard: Injured most of the time, when plays doesn't play that good.
2015: Cedric Ogbuehi: Played terrible at Right Tackle, could be better at Left Tackle (natural position).
2016: William Jackson III: Injured for the whole year.



We haven't got any actual products from our last 3 first round picks...

While there is a lot of truth to this...I mean, it sure couldn't help, but the fact that they stayed with Ogbuehi as long as they did and the performance of Nugent this year is the biggest reason for the decline year over year...Burfict's suspension didn't help, either.

At least there is still hope for Dennard and WJIII.  Like many others, I think Ced might have just been a huge whiff.  I hope that turns out to be false, but the advent of the spread has created more and more early round busts at the tackle position.  

And the positive spin is that the Bengals have received contributions from their other picks:

Boyd:  slot starter, solid rookie season
Vigil:  nickel starter next year, actually defended a pass to a TE in an actual game (that's progress for our LBs)
Billings:  TBD
Cody Core:  possible starter at X
Fej:  special teams demon, filled in nicely when called upon

The 2015 class is probably the biggest dud, as Fisher just started to show that he could be a competent RT and Shaw is a versatile guy on the back end.  Uzomah flashed in limited opportunities...but the rest of that class (Kroft, Dawson, Hardison, Alford) is a pretty big pile of nothing thus far.  

The 2014 Class has been littered with mediocrity.  Hill (one year wonder), Clarke (yawn), Bodine (puke), McCarron (biggest contribution might lay ahead with a trade), Flowers (double yawn), and Wright (triple yawn?).

This upcoming draft, with at least 11 selections will set this team up for the next 3-5 years, either for failure or success.