Bengals Disappoint Cryptkeeper, Fail to Screw Up Draft
By david
“What’s going on with the Bengals?” complains ESPN’s John “the Cryptkeeper” Clayton. “Cincinnati’s Day 2 drafting was as solid as its Day 1 selections. There were no reaches, no controversies and even a nice story.”
Well, shucks, John, sorry if the canned piece you had on how Cincinnati had blown it again on draft day has to sit in the drawer another year. Maybe you’ll get lucky in 2010.
Other draft reviews are starting to roll in. Walter’s a fan, except for the Andre Smith pick. F? That’s a bit harsh, even to me. Worst case scenario is that he ends up an overpaid guard. Still, there’s lots of A’s there, too.
James Walker calls it the ultimate boom-or-bust draft for Cincinnati, a thought echoed by WDR. I’m forced to agree. Coaching will make — or fail — this year’s class, and I don’t see a lot of room for a middle ground here. This draft is a turning point, but for good or ill remains to be seen.
More reax to the ’09 draft as the roll in.
— The Sports Network’s Tony Moss gives the Bengals an A-. Notable comment: “Luigs is a pure center who could have trouble sticking. ” FWIW, Marvin Lewis continues to express confidence in the centers currently on the roster.
"I feel real good about the center, because we felt real good about our guys that are here in our program. I feel better about it now because we have another guy to compete with those guys. Competition makes you better. I think that we are real content with where things are. There’s an opportunity for the guys that we have in house. With the injuries, we were able to run a lot guys through here."
— C. Trent calls it an impressive draft class.
"Overall: The one-note Bengal detractors will say there’s a reason all these players just “fell” to the Bengals. Of course, if they fell to the Patriots, they’d be geniuses. Still, the first two players selected, Andre Smith and Rey Maualuga, were two of the most dominating players in college football the last couple of seasons. Chase Clemons’ inability to work out while rehabbing a broken foot caused him to drop and Jonathan Luigs has a chance to be a starter. In all, it’s a very impressive draft class for the Bengals."
— Draft Daddy gives the Bengals good grades for their picks. DD especially likes the Michael Johnson selection:
"DE Michael Johnson: Some say 20 career sacks in 4 years is underachieving – his potential is unreal. Grade: A-"
— NFL Draft 101 calls Rey Maualuga “a franchise changing pick for the Cincinnati Bengals.”
— Pete Prisco gives the Bengals a B+, saying that this draft might get the team back to the playoffs.