Grade the 2021 Bengals draft

[coachmcneil71]

(05-03-2024, 05:17 PM)Whatever Wrote: Uh...kid had 116 receiving yards and a couple of scramble drill TD's.  Nobody in the league fears Yoshi and his 4.6 YPT.

I'm not going to argue the semantics of it. Points on the board are pretty important imo.

Besides, I'm in too good of a mood after Nico posted that SI cover. 

Apologies to OP. Didn't think it would take us that long to come up with Abdullah. Back to draft grading.

[Whatever]

(05-03-2024, 05:22 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Believe he had 3 TD's and could of had many more yards if Browning saw him running wide open a couple other times.

Not bad for the lack of snaps and being a late round pick from a liar school...

He played 26% of the offensive snaps, though.  

I'm not trying to drag the kid.  I actually think he does well as a ST's gunner and think he will stick on the roster for several years as a back half of the roster WR and ST'er.  And if you get that out out of a 6th round pick, you hit on that pick.  But nobody fears the guy.

To give another example of just how much of a longshot Day 3 picks are, we've only drafted 4 skill position starters in the 4th or later this century (TJ, Rudi, Marvin Jones, and Uzi).  

[coachmcneil71]

(05-03-2024, 05:54 PM)Whatever Wrote: He played 26% of the offensive snaps, though.  

I'm not trying to drag the kid.  I actually think he does well as a ST's gunner and think he will stick on the roster for several years as a back half of the roster WR and ST'er.  And if you get that out out of a 6th round pick, you hit on that pick.  But nobody fears the guy.

To give another example of just how much of a longshot Day 3 picks are, we've only drafted 4 skill position starters in the 4th or later this century (TJ, Rudi, Marvin Jones, and Uzi).  

The TJ and Rudi hits were really good for us at the time. 

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(05-03-2024, 05:35 PM)casear2727 Wrote: Hopefully Yoshi has learned his routes if he wants passes from Burrow other than scramble drill throws.

For sure, he needs to really refine his route running and he needs to get much better at holding on to the ball when making catches.

But for a late round pick from a small school, he was pretty good when called upon as a rookie. I remember one game that I was speaking
of where if Browning saw him running wide open it would of been like a 70 yard TD on one play and another big play where Jake missed him.

(05-03-2024, 05:37 PM)leonardfan40 Wrote: I’d give this draft a solid C+. Chase is awesome. Mac as well. Two difference makers in one draft is an automatic passing grade for any team. Carman would be thought better of if he had a real chance at LT. He’s not good anywhere else but I’ll call him a bust with an Asterisk. We got decent production out of our D line picks and spot depth at o line later on and including Carman. Those games/snaps matter.

People are always much harder on our own drafts than other teams. Not every player will be a star. Nobody drafts like that. The thing the bengals have done well is get a lot of solid role players and depth guys with their “bad” picks. Just because a 3rd/4th/5th/6th rounder isn’t a multi-year starter does not mean it wasn’t a good draft. The bengals have drafted very well since Taylor took over. Last years draft is looking very impressive. Obviously the Burrow draft was a home run. His first draft was unspectacular but still valuable with lots of role players and a solid but not great starting tackle. Sample is a great blocker and finally started showing modest usefulness in the passing game last year which is all we need from our blocking TE.

Look at our LB drafting for example. Two absolute steals in Wilson and Pratt. The other guys we’ve drafted have also been great picks even though they aren’t stars. Bailey, ADG have both played well on ST’s and more importantly when we were devasted by LB injury a while back (plus Bachie but he wasn’t a draft pick). An entire room built from the ground up with the draft under Taylor. And I have no complaints about our LB group. Same with our WR room this year. Chase, Tee, Jones, Yoshi, Burton. Another group where we should be very well off with nothing but Taylor draft picks.

Tons of important starters and depth/role guys in the secondary as well. The only place we haven’t gotten studs under Taylor in the draft is the trenches which is hard for anyone to get because there are so few guys that big who are also good enough to be stars in this league. But he has taken the FA money and put it into those positions very effectively with Trey, reader, rankins, Cappa, OBJ, Karras, etc. If Murphy and Mims end up being hits, we’re winning a SB for sure. Still got a great shot even if both bust.

Cannot argue with any of this LF40, great post.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(05-03-2024, 05:54 PM)Whatever Wrote: He played 26% of the offensive snaps, though.  

I'm not trying to drag the kid.  I actually think he does well as a ST's gunner and think he will stick on the roster for several years as a back half of the roster WR and ST'er.  And if you get that out out of a 6th round pick, you hit on that pick.  But nobody fears the guy.

To give another example of just how much of a longshot Day 3 picks are, we've only drafted 4 skill position starters in the 4th or later this century (TJ, Rudi, Marvin Jones, and Uzi).  

Surprised he played that high of a percentage of snaps honestly. Not going to argue with anything you say here. If he does what you say 
he was a good pick, any more than that and it is gravy. Still his size, speed, athleticism and physicality give him a shot at being something
special if he can put it all together.

[*bfine32*]

(05-02-2024, 06:43 PM)J24 Wrote: Best pick- Jamar Chase WR LSU- He's Been better than advertised as a WR. 

Worst pick- Jackson Carmen- We will always have that night in Buffalo but other than that meh.

Overall grade- A- Without Jammar and Money Mac we don't make a superbowl run.

Redo the  draft( can only replace a player with a player picked in same round and after pick)
1st Jammar Chase  WR LSU
2nd) Creed Humphrey C Oklahoma 
3rd.) Osa Odighizuwa 3T UCLA
4th.) Armon ST Brown WR USC
4b.)Camtyn Bynum S  Cal
4c.) D'Ante Smith T ECU
5.)Mac McPherson K Florida 
6.)Trey Smith OG Tenn
6b) Chris Evans RB Florida 
7th.) Johnathon Cooper Edge Ohio St.

Redoing the draft I'd have a hard time picking Chase and St Brown w/ Boyd and Tee on the team.

I'd be tempted to go w/ Sewell in Rd1. 

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

NFL.com ranked us 10th.

https://www.nfl.com/news/2024-nfl-draft-class-rankings-steelers-bears-eagles-chargers-earn-top-grades-falcons-flummox

[J24]

(05-03-2024, 07:13 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Redoing the draft I'd have a hard time picking Chase and St Brown w/ Boyd and Tee on the team.

I'd be tempted to go w/ Sewell in Rd1. 

It's a tough choice I'll give you that!

[leonardfan40]

(05-06-2024, 06:36 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: NFL.com ranked us 10th.

https://www.nfl.com/news/2024-nfl-draft-class-rankings-steelers-bears-eagles-chargers-earn-top-grades-falcons-flummox

Seemed a little high at first glance, but looking over everyone else’s drafts, I can’t argue that we should be any lower. Could even say we should be a spot or two higher.

I do not see how Pittsburgh is #1 at all. I also like Carolina’s draft a lot better than #30.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com) had McLachlan as his #2 TE.

https://stripehype.com/posts/espn-analyst-identifies-bengals-pick-as-most-valuable-on-day-three-01hwmkhbksm0

[KillerGoose]

(05-03-2024, 12:41 PM)jj22 Wrote: I'm thinking about the only thing that (should) matters.... Wins and post season contributions.

There is no SB without Shelvin's big play against Mahomes.... What more do you want from a draft pick. I'll have to hear the A picks in prior drafts and wonder what they did to help the team win and make championship runs.

You can point to the supposed great draft picks of Dunlap, Atkins, Whit etc. but what exactly did that get us? You guys rather go back to 1 and dones?

Shelvin didn't make any plays in the AFCC as far as I remember. A quick check shows that he only played seven snaps and accumulated no stats. I have a feeling you're thinking of Shelvin's last snap, a second and goal in the fourth quarter with 1:19 left to go, because Shelvin physically makes contact with Mahomes. The part you're misremembering is that Mahomes was sacked by Hubbard and he fell into Shelvin. So much so that, again, Shelvin wasn't credited with any statistic. 

[wildcatnku24]

Shouldn't it be an A+? That draft class was what we needed to get to the superbowl. Without that draft class, we likely don't make it. I can't see how it's anything but a high grade.

[jj22]

(05-12-2024, 07:41 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: Shelvin didn't make any plays in the AFCC as far as I remember. A quick check shows that he only played seven snaps and accumulated no stats. I have a feeling you're thinking of Shelvin's last snap, a second and goal in the fourth quarter with 1:19 left to go, because Shelvin physically makes contact with Mahomes. The part you're misremembering is that Mahomes was sacked by Hubbard and he fell into Shelvin. So much so that, again, Shelvin wasn't credited with any statistic. 

But he was in the line up on that critical play.with a championship appearance on the line. Against a team who hasn’t been beat in that spot since. Doesn’t that in itself mean something. It wasn’t due to injury. He was trusted in that moment.

That alone in my book is worthy of more than a F. 

Any draft pick whose post season play contributed to a win earned their stripes as far as I’m concerned. Maybe not a A but definitely not an F. 

Same with Jackson. When we needed him the most he shined. Now I don’t know what happened before or after but I haven’t had much complaint about Jackson since then.

[KillerGoose]

(05-12-2024, 10:55 PM)jj22 Wrote: But he was in the line up on that critical play.with a championship appearance on the line. Against a team who hasn’t been beat in that spot since. Doesn’t that in itself mean something. It wasn’t due to injury. He was trusted in that moment.

That alone in my book is worthy of more than a F. 

Any draft pick whose post season play contributed to a win earned their stripes as far as I’m concerned. Maybe not a A but definitely not an F. 

Same with Jackson. When we needed him the most he shined. Now I don’t know what happened before or after but I haven’t had much complaint about Jackson since then.

I think it is a nice sentiment, really. However, I hope you see the difference between this point and saying "Without Shelvin, we don't go to the Super Bowl." They are their own two separate discussions. 

[Whatever]

(05-03-2024, 07:13 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Redoing the draft I'd have a hard time picking Chase and St Brown w/ Boyd and Tee on the team.

I'd be tempted to go w/ Sewell in Rd1. 

I still take Chase.  

Chase, honestly, doesn't really get the credit he deserves for the culture change with the Bengals.  This was still a terri-bad team Burrow's rookie year.  There were a number of games early in the year that weren't looking good until Chase would pull out his ridiculous pre-halftime deep TD grab to keep us in the game.  And the KC game, where we really truly shook that pretender label... that's Wyatt Earp at the creek level shut, there.  When you consider the opponent, the playoff implications, the franchise impact, and what he actually did, that is arguably the greatest single game performance in the history of the franchise.

[SunsetBengal]

C- overall, if Ossai or Cam Sample start producing anything noteworthy? Then I would bump it to a C+ or even a B-

[jj22]

(05-13-2024, 10:11 AM)KillerGoose Wrote: I think it is a nice sentiment, really. However, I hope you see the difference between this point and saying "Without Shelvin, we don't go to the Super Bowl." They are their own two separate discussions. 

Without Shelvin clogging the middle on that critical play, Mahomes hands it off or darts up the middle for a TD with seconds left for the win…..


The o/p guys asked for it….

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/regrading-2021-nfl-draft-lions-broncos-hauls-look-even-greater-jets-bears-miss-big-on-franchise-qbs/

[*bfine32*]

(05-13-2024, 01:04 PM)Whatever Wrote: I still take Chase.  

Chase, honestly, doesn't really get the credit he deserves for the culture change with the Bengals.  This was still a terri-bad team Burrow's rookie year.  There were a number of games early in the year that weren't looking good until Chase would pull out his ridiculous pre-halftime deep TD grab to keep us in the game.  And the KC game, where we really truly shook that pretender label... that's Wyatt Earp at the creek level shut, there.  When you consider the opponent, the playoff implications, the franchise impact, and what he actually did, that is arguably the greatest single game performance in the history of the franchise.

JC is a great pick, but you give me the option (on a team that already has Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd) between going Chase in the 1st and Sun God in the 3rd or Peneii and SG; I'm going OT/WR. 

[jj22]

(05-14-2024, 11:12 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: Give it a rest, sister

Sister? I don't get it. Is this some sort of slur?

Anyway you can watch the play and decide for yourself. The drafts didn't go downhill until 2022, the 2019-2021 drafts were some of the best this team has had and the results speak for themselves. Anyone giving these drafts a poor grade given the accomplishments and contributions of the players in these championships runs and... well.... Let me see what your A drafts did for the team in the past, and then I guess we'd all take more D and C drafts if SB's, Post Season runs, and Championship games is what we get from them.

I'm not letting this go. These were draft classes that contributed to Championship teams. We see what bad drafts do to a team as we see how the drafting in 2022/2023 has set the team back some.

[jj22]

Again I ask. Give me your A drafts so I can see what they did for the team and how they've helped lead to post season wins and championship games.

Naming the Dunlap's / Atkins etc is fine and dandy but what did they give us? 1 and done's.... Keep your A drafts if that is the case. Yall might not like my A drafts, but you won't be complaining in January and February as they help rack up the wins.