08-20-2015, 12:22 PM
(08-19-2015, 10:13 AM)BritishBengal Wrote: The rise of Dre Kirkpatrick is, for me, one of the most exciting storylines coming into this new season. I'll be the first to admit that I hated that pick 3 years ago. I thought he looked stiff on tape and relied heavily on Mark Barron making plays to atone for his mistakes. As the seasons passed it looked like Dre might become another ill-judged Bengals 1st round draft selection as injuries and inconsistent play de-railed his impact. Then BAM! The end of last season the guy exploded. Making crucial game-changing plays and looking far more solid than in seasons past. This renaissance of sorts seems to be continuing, as this offseason his growing confidence and stellar play shines through, attracting positive attention from those close to the team. It is fair to say there is a buzz about him.
This made me, out of curiosity, look back at the 2012 draft. The more I delved into it the more I realise this, perhaps even more than the 2011 draft, was the moment this team escaped its mundane and underwhelming past.
The players selected that draft were as follows:
1)Dre Kirkpatrick*
2)Kevin Zeitler*
3)Devon Still
4)Mohammed Sanu
5)Brandon Thompson*
6)Orson Charles
7)Shaun Prater
8)Marvin Jones*
9)George Illoka*
10)Dan Herron
I'll start with those players that didn't make it. As a 2nd overall pick, on the field, Still has been a disappointment. Off it of course he has been an inspiration and hero. Which leads to an interesting thought of whether, in reality, this was the real steal of the draft. Orson Charles showed talent but (rightly or wrongly) didn't stick around. Prater too showed a lot of talent but injuries set him back, he has been with the Vikings and now Zim since 2013. Boom Herron didn't show it here but had a great run with the Colts last year and showed that he too was probably a smart pick.
Next lets look at the pick in the 3rd Sanu has been a solid role player, and about as much as you would expect from a 3rd round pick. A good red-zone threat and a multi-talented player (perfect passer).
You'll notice the players asterisked. This is because all these selections came about directly or indirectly from smart moves made by the front office. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I will use it. Looking at the other corners that went before and after Kirkpatrick (Morris Claibourne, Stephon Gilmore, Janoris Jenkins, Casey Hayward, Trumaine Johnson, Josh Robinson) you could argue Dre has a shot at becoming the best corner of that class. This pick as we know was a result of the Palmer trade, Dre was an Oakland pick. The selection of Zeitler came as a result of a trade down with New England. They took the talented Chandler Jones, but at the time we were in the market for O-line help. Many were horrified when we passed on DeCastro, but in truth Zeitler has probably had the better career thus far. Not only this but in moving down the Bengals aquired an extra 3rd round pick, a pick that would turn into Brandon Thompson. The 5th round was a triumph. Marvin Jones came thanks to traded Chad to the Pats, and Illoka thanks to trading Keith Rivers to the Giants. Both Keith and Chad are now out of the NFL. That year we didn't have a 7th round pick because that was traded with David Jones for Reggie Nelson. Our 7th round pick that year became Jeris Pendleton a DT who has only seen one regular season game with the Colts.
If you look at it, the picks we had that were our own that year all flopped other than Sanu. In 2012 and 2013 the Bengals turned;
David Jones
Keith Rivers
Chad Johnson
Carson Palmer
into
Reggie Nelson
Dre Kirkpatrick
Brandon Thompson
Marvin Jones
Gio Bernard-Part of the Palmer trade, 2nd round in 2013
Cobi Hamilton-Part of the Chad trade, 6th round in 2013
We often give this organisation a lot of stick in the way it deals with personnel and being 'conservative' in FA. However when you stop and think about what it has done, rather quietly, these last few years, you can understand why. It managed with a few moves in 2012 to assemble a core of young players (and Reggie) that have been the foundations to a lot of recent success.
Here is to another successful year!
