Nov 23, 2012; Ames, Iowa, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith (12) drops back to pass against the Iowa State Cyclones during the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. West Virginia defeated Iowa State 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

You know it’s a bad quarterback class when so much discussion is focused of the bust-potential of every prospect, and one NFL scout took it pretty far in a scathing comparison for West Virginia’ Geno Smith.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Bob McGinn was told by a scout at the NFL Scouting Combine that Smith compares to former Bengals draft bust Akili Smith, who is viewed by many as one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history after he was drafted with the #3-overall pick by Cincinnati in 1999. It didn’t help that the next four picks were Edgerrin James, Ricky Williams, Torry Holt, and Champ Bailey. Two of those players will be in the hall-of-fame, and all four went to multiple Pro Bowls.

During the four years he was with the Bengals, Akili would only start in 17 games and throw just five touchdown passes next to 13 interceptions. He was finally  released in 2002, after riding the bench mostly during the previous two years.

Geno is widely regarded as the top prospect in this year’s draft, but if those comments tell you anything, it’s that this is a very risky year to draft a QB high and count on him to be the future of your franchise.

Want more Bengals news? Like Stripe Hype on Facebook, or grab our RSS feed.

Follow @StripeHype

Follow @UK_Fans

Nov 27, 2011; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals middle linebacker Rey Maualuga (58) before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE

The Cincinnati Bengals have been the joke of the NFL in recent years when it comes to housing players with character issues. Any incident that happens, whether minor or major will immediately get an onslaught of media attention as long as that player has been affiliated with the Bengals. There have been players in similar situations that play for other teams that go virtually unnoticed by the press. One recent example of this type of negative publicity is that of former Bengal, Nate Webster who was charged for a sex crime. Note that in the last sentence, I labeled him as ‘former Bengal’ which is exactly what the media has done. They fail to mention that he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2000, traded to the Bengals in 2004, and then went to the Denver Broncos as a free agent in 2006, only spending two seasons of his career in Cincinnati.

Yes, the media do have a point with their assessment of the Bengals players of late. They have failed to stay out of trouble and now the team from Cincinnati is the poster child for off the field incidents involving NFL players. Below is a list of Bengals that have had run-ins with the law within the past 10 years.

Pacman Jones, Chris Henry, Antwan Odom, Marvin White, Cedric Benson, Jerome Simpson, Odell Thurman, Rey Maualuga, Tank Johnson, Maurice Purify, Leon Hall, Ahmad Brooks, Quincy Wilson, A.J. Nicholson, Johnathan Joseph, Deltha O’Neal, Reggie McNeal, Eric Steinbach, Matthias Askew, Frostee Rucker, Justin Smith, Levi Jones, Neil Rackers, Vaughn Booker, Akili Smith, Tremain Mack, Corey Dillon, Darnay Scott, and Steve Foley.

Fansided.com’s Worst Man Drafted competition kicks off today, featuring 64 of the crappiest draft selections ever. Representing the Cincinnati Bengals in the East Region are QBs Akili Smith and Jack “The Throwin’ Samoan” Thompson. Over the years, the Bengals haven’t been good at much, but one thing they have excelled at is blowing it big-time on draft day. So let’s make sure we get our due! Spread the word and vote here.