Another draft is in the books. Why not kick off my reaction with another
baseball metaphor (Apparently that is my go-to move)? Last year, my take was the
Bengals didn’t hit a home run with their draft, but they did smack a line shot into left field. 2013 turned out to be more of the same for Marvin Lewis and the scouting staff. Actually, these kind of results have turned into
Cincinnati's signature and are pretty much the root of what has turned around
the team over the last five years. Don't try to swing for the fences. Don't try to do it all in one draft. Just
keep building methodically, pick by pick. Let the draft come to you. At first I
was a little disappointed with their first two days of picks. I thought with that
extra second rounder they really had a chance to land a defensive player or two
capable of contributing this year while utilizing this draft classes' depth to still
address some of the offensive concerns later on. I don't think I was wrong, but
as I've had time to digest how things played out, I'm not so sure I don't like
it better their way. Here’s my take on how things shook out:.
Round 1: Tyler Eifert, TE, ND
As the Bengals sat on the clock at pick 21, I found myself
rifling through the defensive prospects in my head. "Sharrif Floyd is
still on the board??? Do they snatch up the value? Never mind that he plays the
position they least need. How about Bjoern Werner? Tank Carradine? Alec
Ogletree? Maybe reach for one of the safeties, Elam or Cyprien?" The
answer of no, no, no, no, no, and no was a little deflating at first. Safety
was their biggest need, but less specifically the role that was missing was an anchor for
the back seven of the defense. It'd be nice if they found it in the form of a
two-way tackling machine of a safety that can cover tight ends, but the right
linebacker would have worked too. As I’ve called it before, they needed a D-rock.
Yet, after mulling it over maybe that wasn't their biggest need. The defense ranked
in the top ten last year. The offense didn't crack the top 20, couldn't convert on third down, and was more than iffy in the red zone. Unfortunately, it
wasn't real clear how exactly they could upgrade the offense. Dalton has to
develop, but they weren't going to solve that with the 21st pick. The line is
in good shape. A faster running back would help, but that could wait. Sanu, Jones, and Hawkins have flashed enough that tabbing a WR
early didn't make much sense. Then Tyler Eifert fell right into their laps. All
of a sudden, all of the versatile two tight end formations I dreamt of when
they picked Orson Charles last year became more realistic. The'll line
him up in-line. They'll split him out wide. They'll line him up in the slot.
Hopefully, Eifert can bring everything that Gresham has struggled to deliver: A
reliable matchup nightmare that can routinely snag 5 to 8 yards on second down
while doubling as a constant threat down the seam. Yes, Gresham has made two
pro bowls in his first three years, but with his wet-pants playoff performance
against Houston still fresh in our minds, it's hard to be too enthusiastic
about him anymore. You know that feeling you get when you make yourself a giant
bowl of cereal and then right before you eat it you get a phone call and ten
minutes later when you hang up all you're left with is gritty brownish milk and
soggy flakes? That's what it feels like to have invested a first round pick in Jermaine
Gresham. I wouldn't call him a bust, but when you try to feature him as the
number two target in your offense in year three and he shrinks, you're not getting enough out
of your investment. Teams trolling for tight ends in the first round are hoping
for players that are too physical to be covered by corners and too fast to be
covered by safeties. At this point, Gresham is not that guy. Ask Glover Quinn.
So what is Eifert? If he is what we think he is he could be the antidote for
the offense; the legit second option that takes just enough pressure off Gresham,
Sanu, Jones, and Hawkins to let everyone flourish. The red zone potential might
be his biggest upside. Imagine Green split on one side and Eifert on the other.
If defenses don’t give help on both sidelines, they pay. If they do, run the ball
down their throats. Maybe even throw Dennis Roland in there at TE just to pack
a little extra punch. Long story short, I think they made the right pick.
Round 2: Giovani Bernard, RB North Carolina
This pick could turn out to be crucial for the franchise.
It's either going to dovetail perfectly with their first pick to fill the
offense’s final need or it is going to be a constant sore spot as we agonize
over the guys they could have taken in this slot. That's the risk of drafting
need over value. In fairness, I think the Bengals truly believe they did draft
value. I was thinking Bernard was a good safety valve option in the third round
for their RB need if they missed out on Johnathan Franklin at the end of the
second. The Bengals snatched up Bernard as the first RB off the board and
everyone passed on Franklin until the fourth round so what do I know? Bernard had some hype heading into
last season, but after he flew under the radar throughout the pre-draft
process I hestitated to be too optimistic about him as a prospect. At the same time, no one really questioned him coming off the board as the top RB
early in the second round. It seemed odd, but I don’t think anyone took
exception to the pick because it looks like such a good marriage. The Bengals
needed a quick receiving back and they drafted one. My favorite part about this
pick was the Bengals' use of free agency to complement the draft prior to the draft taking place. Much like last year’s one-year-deal with Pat Sims at DT,
Bernard Scott was retained as insurance for a pick that hadn’t happened yet. If
the rookie goes down or isn't ready, they have a backup plan in place. I don’t
like Scott any more as the RB2, but as a hungry player with a couple of years
left in the tank scratching and clawing to hang onto his career and turn into
something more than a “what might have been” backup, he fits like a glove.
Round 2: Margus Hunt, DE SMU
I was on board with this pick right away. Safety and
linebacker were the more obvious needs, but a developmental DE still makes a
lot of sense. Michael Johnson and Carlos Dunlap are both free agents next year,
and Robert Geathers and Wallace Gillberry are rotational guys. Defensive end is
a strength right now, but they probably need to replace three of those four
players in the next two years for economic and performance reasons. Value-wise,
I thought they might go DE with one of their first two picks with the likes of
Werner or Caradine. Instead, they charged some life into the offense and still
managed to grab a high ceiling DE to groom. My favorite quote about Hunt was
off of Bengals.com during rookie minicamps when someone commented that when Hunt
got into his stance they saw muscles they didn't even know existed. If nothing
else hopefully his freakish ability to block field goals translates to the
pros. I think in three years he'll be pretty good (especially if Zimmer sticks
around that long). And, maybe best of all, for the first time in a while Bengals
fans now have a player they can cheer for and do that thing where people sound
like they are booing but really they are saying a player's name:
"Hoooooont!" (or at least that's how I imagine you pronounce Hunt's name in
Estonian).
Round 3: Shawn Williams S Georgia
At the end of day two, the Bengals finally got around to
picking a safety. The phrase "find someone to play next to Reggie
Nelson" has almost become cliché. The problem with waiting this long is
they are still pretty vulnerable at the position. Has anybody thought about
what happens if Nelson goes down or tails off talent wise? Yikes. Somebody get
Chris Crocker a truckload of Icy Hot. I don't really think George Iioka, Robert
Sands, and Taylor Mays will be much more than special teamers. We'll see.
Apparently they know something we don't know because right now it looks like
they are grabbing a handful of screws out of a toolbox and are crossing their fingers one of them fits. It's hard to fault the Bengals though. They stuck to their
patient draft style and none of the top safeties fell to them. Vicarro and Reid
went ahead of pick 21 (despite reports implying otherwise, I'm not sure the
Bengals would've gone for Reid anyway. San Fran tends to reach for their
favorite prospects. Sometimes it works...AldonSmith. And sometimes it
doesn't... A.J. Jenkins). Elam or Cyprien would've been stretches at 21 but didn’t
last to 37. There was safety depth in this draft. They could afford to wait and
they did. But did they pick the right guy? Pre-draft I heard more chatter
talking up guys like Phillip Thomas, Shamarko Thomas, and even Duke Williams.
All came off the board within the next twenty picks after Cincinnati selected
Shawn Williams. In contrast, I didn't hear much at all about Shawn Williams
pre-draft. That said, when I started to read up on him I got the feeling that
he might be a good fit for what the back end of the defense needs. He is a
tough hitter with a solid build that led Georgia in tackles as a junior and
finished second as a senior. Several write-ups tagged him as a better football
player than an athlete. His interception numbers dipped to 0 as a senior and
his ability to cover slot receivers and tight ends has been questioned. He
excelled in a top level SEC defense and ran a 4.42 40 yard dash. I'm not really
worried about the athleticism. The cover skills might need some polish but they
should be able to limp through those growing pains with Nelson and the depth at
corner picking up the slack. The attitude is what I really like. The defensive
backfield needs some bite to it and Williams appears capable of
providing it. The Bengals still lack a backup plan at free safety,
but if they've managed to fill the strong safety void without having to cough
up a first or second rounder, this pick could be a crucial piece to the roster.
The Rest:
One thing that keeps bouncing around my head is the number
ten, as in the Bengals selected ten players in this draft. It's hard to imagine
ten spots available on their roster. They did the right thing with their day
three picks: backup plan at weak side linebacker, Brian Leonard-esque RB, solid
developmental receiver, and a herd of beefy offensive line depth. I wouldn't
make any changes positionally, but the big question is whether more than one or
two of these guys can make the team. In that sense you might consider these
picks a waste of resources. Teams like New England tend to find ways to trade picks for extra picks in future years. The Bengals have a
different strategy. They aren't worried about who they might have to cut.
Instead they try to build the strongest 73 man roster possible. They are going
to lose players in training camp and they've chosen to use every last draft
pick to make sure they have the depth to absorb it. It feels a little awkward,
but in the end, I think it's the right thing to do. So what does it all mean?
As is the buzz kill of all draft seasons, we won't know for another two to five
years. Until then, all we can do is speculate. Overall, the Bengals' roster
looks strong. They still are thin on proven safety talent, and the ability of
the linebacking corps to hold up reasonably in pass coverage is still a
question mark. However, it’s important not to forget the four biggest boxes on just
about every NFL general manager’s checklist for building a contender: 1.)
Quarterback 2.) offensive line 3.) defensive line 4.) offensive weapons. The Bengals
have checked all four boxes (Dalton has his doubters, but I’ll give him year
three before I start getting anxious) and are in good enough shape everywhere
else that they've been able to refine and sustain those important roles as
strengths. Is it enough? Can Cincinnati finally step up and play with the big
boys? I'm not sure. All I know is, Bengals fans used to enter each season with false hope, but now each year the
hope gets more and more real. The results on the field show it. Analysts are
commenting about it. Say what you want about the frugality of the Brown family or
Marvin Lewis’ skills as a game coach, but you have to tip your cap to what this
regime is doing each offseason. The bases are loaded. The Bengals still trail by one run, but
the top of the order is coming up and when the pitches start flying in 2013 you
can bet the boys in Orange and Black will be swinging. Maybe this time they
will knock one out of the park.
