By now, Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green has become the least “sexy” pick the Cincinnati Bengals could make at #4 in the upcoming NFL draft. Why? Call it “overexposure.” We’ve been hearing Green’s name mentioned as the team’s most likely pick since January. Not only has he been deemed to be the Bengals top pick by many of the draft gurus, but Green would appear to be such a lock to be in stripes in 2011 that even Chad Ochocinco has gotten in on the act.
Never one to miss a chance to create “news” where there is none, the Ocho recently tweeted Green that “@ajgreen_uga8 We are drafting you, not sure if this is tampering but I will pay the fine and you can pay me back in McDonald coupons #deal.” To which Green noncommittedly replied, “ajgreen_uga8@ochocinco I got u man..lol.” Earlier, Chad had expressed his own feelings on the matter, “Who’s your team? Who would you like to see them draft? As far as the Bengals I hope they draft AJ Green or any top receiver for that matter.”
In the end, of course, it doesn’t matter what Chad wants. It only matters what Marvin Lewis, Jay Gruden, Mike Zimmer, and, of course, Mike Brown eventually decide they want. And in their final analysis, as un-sexy as it might be, they probably will land on A.J. Green, as they should.
To understand why Green will be the Bengals’ pick at #4, you need to understand just where this offense is. As everyone knows, we will never again see Carson Palmer nor Terrell Owens in a Cincinnati uniform. If anything is done to end the lockout between now and draft day, we may not see Ochocinco in stripes again either, and they might not re-sign Cedric Benson. For Bengals fans, it’s hard to admit that just two years after going undefeated within the notoriously tough AFC North, fate has pushed this offense into a near total rebuild mode. At this point, you could say that Jay Gruden will begin designing his latest version of the West Coast Offense around one player. And that would be left tackle Andrew Whitworth.
Ironically, as far as Green is concerned, wide receiver might be the deepest position on this offense. Jordan Shipley led AFC rookies in receptions. Jerome Simpson showed a tremendous combination of athleticism, enthusiasm, and receiving ability at the end of the 2010 campaign. Andre Caldwell also showed much brighter flashes of promise than he did in either 2008 or 2009. Add last year’s first round pick, TE Jerome Gresham, and you see that Cincy’s receiving corps looks pretty impressive, even without the presence of Ochocinco. So, why does Green make such perfect sense as the #4 this year?
As good as the Bengals wide receivers might be, not one of them has proven himself to be a viable #1 WR. At 6’4” and 211 lbs, remarkable hands, great speed, and disciplined route running skills, Green would be a #1 on almost any team in the NFL. More importantly, being in a rebuilding mode, the Bengals have to be looking to build upon the youth movement that really began with the 2009 draft. With the exception of Andre Smith, whose destiny is yet to be decided as he continues to battle injuries and weight issues, the Bengals defense added Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson. The 2010 draft saw them add Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, and Roderick Muckelroy. Add those players to Leon Hall, Jonathon Joseph, and Keith Rivers, and you have the ingredients for a very talented and still very young defense. Now it’s the offense’s turn for a facelift. Green would be a strong addition to the aforementioned receiving corps, which is still very young. Palmer’s departure clears the way for a second round quarterback such as Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, Christian Ponder, or Ryan Mallet to come in and mature along with those guys. Benson could still play the role of bell cow running back, but don’t be shocked if they let him walk and take someone like Jamie Harper from Clemson or Johnny White from North Carolina, both of whom have better receiving skills than Benson and could be better suited to the West Coast Offense. But after Green and a QB, priority has to go to addressing the offensive line. Otherwise, whoever replaces Palmer could end up suffering a similar fate. I doubt Jay Gruden will allow that to happen.
In the final analysis, the Bengals’ road to offensive recovery begins with AJ Green. That is, unless for some reason Cam Newton should fall to #4 or the Bengals would trade up to get him.
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