Time to Play….Draft Pick Bingo!

The Cincinnati Bengals went into yesterday’s game with the St. Louis at 4-8, so why is it after a 19-10 win over those poor hapless Rams, that the Bengals are actually in worse shape? The reason is simple. Cincinnati has long since lost any real hope at a post-season. It’s time to start focusing on next year, and the best way to do that, is by getting a good pick in the 2008 NFL draft. By improving to 5-8 the Bengals have made it more difficult to get a much coveted high draft pick.

The Miami Dolphins are all but assured the #1 pick, as they appear all but assured an astonishingly abysmal 0-16 record this season. but the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th picks are still up for grabs, and the Bengals don’t seem to realize that.

Make no mistake, I’m not advocating the team throwing the season, but if we’re not making the playoffs, a nice consolation prize shouldn’t be out of the question.

As you can see by the table, the Bengals recent win has put them squarely in the middle of the pack as far as draft picks, selecting anywhere from 9th to 13th in the upcoming draft. That’s good, but it could have been better. Had the Bengals lost to the Rams, we’d have been tied with the group that is coveting the 3rd overall selection, with an outside shot at #2. This isn’t just about draft picks. The 2nd overall pick could garner some decent established players in a trade, we could have gotten two defensive players to bolster a group that has proven to be downright absymal.

Now we hold our breath, and hope we don’t slip further into the middle of the draft pick pack.