GIVE ME YOUR BENGALS DRAFT GRADES!

[Nicomo Cosca]

(04-28-2018, 09:37 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Agree with this though and except for fumbling the AJM trade the FO has done a remarkable job this offseason so will wait final judgement after the dust settles and the final roster is trimmed. 

Hopefully a good OL falls through the cracks somewhere. 

How did they fumble the AJM trade? That was on Cleveland.

[*psychdoctor*]

I rate this year's draft based on initial impression of talent, not based on how successful the talent will be in three years.  Also, my rating is based on my opinion as a fan, not as a scout or someone who really knows the players.  

I believe the Cincinnati Bengals had a sold draft of high football IQ athletes with excellent work ethic which are described as Try-hards.  Most of the picks are highly motivated; have displayed decent character traits. Nevertheless, there were no "wow" picks or consensus "studs" with star power.  Conversely, there were no real head-scratchers.  The Bengals filled some needs but did not lay rest to questions along the Offensive Line, particularly the RT position. There is no clear-cut favorite RT starter and if anything happens to Glenn or Price, there could be real problems again this year on offense.

"Best Pick": Billy Price.  Fills a position of need with best available player.  Rangow may have been their guy but it wasn't to be.  Price will bring pro-bowl intangibles to a position that the Bengals have not drafted in the first round in decades.  He is nasty, has an edge to his personality, and a born leader.  He needs to work on some technique so he doesn't lunge with his head but he is ultra aggressive, an alpha male player and will hold others accountable.

"Questionable Pick":  Hubbard.  I am a Buckeye fan and love the player but I think Harrison Philips was the better pick at a defensive position and Orlando Brown would have been a better pick at a position of strong need.  Maybe Brown doesn't fit the work ethic schema that the Bengals used this year in the drafting process or maybe  his performance at the Combine caused the Front Office pause.  I hope Hubbard has a monster year.

"Sleeper Pick": Phillips CB.  I do not know if Phillips will be a dime back or even on the field that often as a defensive back.  I think he will eventually replace Erickson on teams and be an electric kick returner.  I think he can be a game-changer on special teams.

Overall Draft Grade: C+  

[jj22]

I give it a solid B. No future stars or steals, but a solid overall draft. Everyone fit. It was just a bad OT class. Hopefully someone steps up.

[*Go Cards*]

(04-28-2018, 09:39 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: How did they fumble the AJM trade? That was on Cleveland.

By even waiting until the season started to make the move. Should have been traded for whatever before allowing him to leave for free before last freakin moment. Not like nobody could see this coming. 

Anyway like I said, it was the only move this offseason that disappointed me until the lack of OL drafted. But will wait and see how OL pans out still. 

Plus if Cleveland actually wanted AJM he would be a Brown right now with no compensation given after he walked in FA. Was all a ruse imo. 

[Andy2AJ]

(04-28-2018, 07:28 PM)Beaker Wrote: Your opinion stopped being relevant at the exact moment you finished typing this sentence.

I wish I could give this more rep points. We have some shitty fans. They need to go cheer for shitspurgh

[Bengalstripes9]

I give it a C. They made a lot if easy, predictable picks and none of them really wowed me. Price is a good pick at a position of need. I like jessie bates a lot, but after that im not too blown away. I think we should have stuck to the board in the second and took Dallas Goedert for eifert insurance. Then find a way to get bates by staying put or trading up. Would have liked another olineman in there. Maybe the value wasnt there. Trading down for back to back picks in the 3rd was a good idea, but it lead to teams jumping ahead of us. I just feel meh. Malik jefferson is fast but i dont think he has good instincts. Hubbard is a good story because hes from ohio, but i dont expect much.

If we got price, then Goedert, then traded up for bates i would have been blown away. Itd be nice to get 3 impact players then you still pick a defensive tackle and defensive end and cb later. And an offensive lineman too.

I give this draft a C+ because nothing about it blew me away, but we did a decent enough job.

[TKUHL]

(04-28-2018, 08:41 PM)BengalsRocker Wrote: I get that...  but what if Price is like Fredrick and a day one starter type talent that fits the coach's scheme?

Dallas got slammed for grabbing him that high by "experts".

Not to say it will be the same...  but you can't refute it either.

Piano man.  Pffft.  He said ol' Ogbuehi was top notch well coached player that could play any spot on the line.  How did that work out?

I'm not arguing here. 

If Cedric O, and that's a big IF, can be salvaged to contribute even in rotation it will be a tell-tale sign that Alexander was right but didn't have abilities to prepare his players.

I'm skeptical though.  I think he's a bust from what I've seen.  That's under bad to no tutelage by Paul A.

At this point we have no clue though.  We haven't seen a different coach there in decades. 

The fact that it's a new coach is the only thing about this offseason that's giving me any kind of hope this offseason. But I do think some are expecting too much out of too little. Not addressing the right side of the line is a valid reason for concern. Had we made a move for Hernandez, Williams, Smith or Brown everyone would feel a little better about this draft. The O line is the obvious weakness of this team ( other than QB but that's another thread) yet we didn't seem to even try to fix it. We had the picks to move around and even had players fall in our lap several times on both lines and we went a different direction. It's pretty scary knowing this team is content with the options we have on the right side and lack of quality depth on the Oline.

[samhain]

I suppose after some thought and looking at the finished product, I might give it a B-.

Price was a great pick.

I like Hubbard as a guy who isn't necessarily a star, but will be a real contributor for years.

I like Jefferson as either a very good backup and possibly a future starter. Wanted him before the draft.

I really like Walton.

I like Phillips.

Forgot about Brown. I like him, too.
Don't care about 7th round guys, so I don't count them against or for anything. Most of them will be practice squad guys or on the street in August.

If the guys I like pan out, then that's not too shabby. At the end of the day, this team may have had a few too many issues to fix in one offseason. Building an entire line in one year is a bit of a tall order.

[Bengalstripes9]

I’ll upgrade from a c+ to a B. We did a good job in the later rounds. I like the Brown pick and its smart to grab a couple corners. I just wasnt thrilled with the third round, and wasnt thrilled on passing up on Goedert. In todays nfl with all the rules slanted to the offense, you can never have enough playmakers. When you get a shot at a rare one why pass on it? Especially when all your tight ends are on one year deals, and your best tight end is injured half the time. Grab goedert, trade up for bates and id give it an A. Or just get better players in the third round and id give it an A. Again, hope they pan out. But when do our linebackers ever pan out? Hubbard doesn’t exactly scream starter either.

[3wt]

(04-28-2018, 09:39 PM)psychdoctor Wrote: I rate this year's draft based on initial impression of talent, not based on how successful the talent will be in three years.  Also, my rating is based on my opinion as a fan, not as a scout or someone who really knows the players.  

I believe the Cincinnati Bengals had a sold draft of high football IQ athletes with excellent work ethic which are described as Try-hards.  Most of the picks are highly motivated; have displayed decent character traits. Nevertheless, there were no "wow" picks or consensus "studs" with star power.  Conversely, there were no real head-scratchers.  The Bengals filled some needs but did not lay rest to questions along the Offensive Line, particularly the RT position. There is no clear-cut favorite RT starter and if anything happens to Glenn or Price, there could be real problems again this year on offense.

"Best Pick": Billy Price.  Fills a position of need with best available player.  Rangow may have been their guy but it wasn't to be.  Price will bring pro-bowl intangibles to a position that the Bengals have not drafted in the first round in decades.  He is nasty, has an edge to his personality, and a born leader.  He needs to work on some technique so he doesn't lunge with his head but he is ultra aggressive, an alpha male player and will hold others accountable.

"Questionable Pick":  Hubbard.  I am a Buckeye fan and love the player but I think Harrison Philips was the better pick at a defensive position and Orlando Brown would have been a better pick at a position of strong need.  Maybe Brown doesn't fit the work ethic schema that the Bengals used this year in the drafting process or maybe  his performance at the Combine caused the Front Office pause.  I hope Hubbard has a monster year.

"Sleeper Pick": Phillips CB.  I do not know if Phillips will be a dime back or even on the field that often as a defensive back.  I think he will eventually replace Erickson on teams and be an electric kick returner.  I think he can be a game-changer on special teams.

Overall Draft Grade: C+  

What he said.

[bengalsturntup926]

(04-28-2018, 04:34 PM)jason Wrote: I've only heard of two of the guys they've drafted... Therefore I have to give them an F.

I looked at a lot of players and the ones I did know was price ,Bates ,Hubbard ,the linebacker , didn't know the 4th or 5th round . And I knew tate and Woodside. 

[Beaker]

(04-28-2018, 08:34 PM)Circleville Guy Wrote: Just to clarify to many on here, Pollack is not God. Hearing his praise post after post is wearing thin.

Compared to Paul Alexander he is.

[Luvnit2]

I give them a grad based on adding 2 first round picks in Glenn and Price. The maneuvered down 10 spots, but still got their man in Price so I say 2 starters in round 1 being LT and center.

I believe Price has the ability to be a dominant all pro center for a decade so love the pick.

The rest of the draft I felt we added impact players like Bates who in time will help us create turnovers. I think Hubbard may be a sleeper long term and reminds me of the younger Watt Steelers drafted last year.

The rest I see as special team players and guys who are projects to start.

I am different than most and see everything after round 3 a huge crap shoot.

I will put my faith in Lazor and our new OL coach feeling good about using existing roster to fix right side of the line.

Overall I give us a B+ because of 2 picks Glenn and Price.

[Beaker]

(04-28-2018, 08:52 PM)scottyd33 Wrote: Sorry didn’t need cornerbacks one bit. We have Dre K WJ3 and Dennard. We are solid this year. Even tho we aren’t fond of Dre K this wasn’t the worst position group on our team. Same with a 4 th round running back...

Yes we did need CBs. After the starting 3, there are question marks. And do you not remember how injuries decimated our CBs last season? Gotta have some depth. As for the RB, needed someone behind Gio and Mixon too. 

You seem so bent on drafting O line, but O line was the weakest position group in this draft class. You don't draft solely for need. The Bengals chased needs all through the 90s drafting wonderful O line guys like Melvin Tuten. You draft BPA....and if that guy fills a need, then its a bonus.

[Nicomo Cosca]

Excuse the hell out of us for being excited about a guy that helped put together one of the best Olines in the league.

I swear some people just like being miserable.

[BengalFanInNJ]

Honestly, once we let go of Piano Man, got Pollack, traded for Glenn and drafted Billy Price I thought everything else was icing on the cake. Yes, I know this team has a few holes but I think the offensive line improved tremendously which will create a domino effect on the offense. Dalton will have a bit more time to throw and more importantly, Mixon/Gio/Walton/Hill should be able to see more daylight running the ball. Let's not forget (and let's hope of course) for a healthy Eifert. Barring injuries, I honestly think this offense will finish in the top-half of the NFL.

I liked them going after defense. Who is to say that Dunlap and Atkins WANT to come back next year? While I am not a huge Hubbard fan, I think he's solid and will contribute. I love the Jefferson pick as well. Jessie Bates, while perhaps picked early, is the type of steady player the Bengals crave at Safety. This was one position in which the draftniks missed on in their predictions as to when these guys were going to go. Derwin James dropping to 17, Terrell Edmunds being picked in the first round, Bates being the second (3rd if you count Minkah Fitzpatrick as a Safety) Safety taken off the board, etc. I don't remember a draft in which one magazine or scout has the same person ranked totally different than the other. NOBODY knows who is going to be a stud or a bust and for every guy we predicted was going to be a stud or bust and became just that, we overlook how many times we were wrong.

I give this draft a B+ only because I personally think we should have taken a chance on Maurice Hurst in the 5th round and didn't think RB was a great need but I did like them taking the back they took.

[Shake n Blake]

(04-28-2018, 09:11 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: They actually took 2 OL. Price and Taylor.

Just noticed that. Didn't get to watch the end of the draft. Better than nothing I guess (Taylor I mean...Loved the Price pick).

[TKUHL]

This was an odd draft class as far as player rankings. Boards had these guys all over the place. Hell a couple player ranking sites had two of our 7th round picks higher than our 2nd RD pick. So who knows time will tell.

[Circleville Guy]

(04-29-2018, 12:01 AM)Beaker Wrote: Compared to Paul Alexander he is.

I do think that Pollack will do a better job than PA did. I’m glad that they made the move, it doesn’t mean that everything is peach now though. Are there restrictions with philosophy on a OLine Coach that the OCoordinator or Head Coach have? Do we know that Pollack has all of the same freedom that he had in Dallas? How well would he have done with last years roster? Some guys suck regardless of the coach. Will Dallas have a horrible line now because of PA? I’m not too sure, I just know that I’ve never seen a coach come in with this much fan praise. I obviously wish him the best!

[Circleville Guy]

(04-29-2018, 12:07 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Excuse the hell out of us for being excited about a guy that helped put together one of the best Olines in the league.

I swear some people just like being miserable.

If you’re referring to me, I’m an extremely happy guy! It’s great to be optimistic about going in a new direction, I’m happy about that too. I’m just not into falling all over someone until we see how he fits with this Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator. Some fans don’t need to see that and that’s fine. I for one would like to see how things go before anointing this guy as a great coach in this system. Many seem to act as if he would of had last years roster kicking butt and I just don’t buy that. I’m not saying that he won’t be a fine coach, I am saying that talent is the main ingredient. Peace and no offense meant.