Cincinnati Bengals: Rethinking Recent NFL Draft Results
The 2013 Draft Results
A large part of the current Bengals key contributors were taken in the 2014 NFL Draft. Take a look at the Bengals selections and imagine some alternatives.
Rd. 1 (24)- Darqueze Dennard, CB
Rd. 2 (55)- Jeremy Hill, RB
Rd. 3 (88)- Will Clarke, DE
Rd. 4 (111)- Russel Bodine, C
Rd. 5 (164)- A.J. McCarron, QB
Rd. 6 (212)- Marquis Flowers, OLB
Rd. 7 (239)- James Wright, WR
Rd. 7 (252)- Lavelle Westbrooks, CB
Analysis
The 2014 Draft was one that the Bengals selected many players that are currently contributing to the success, or lack thereof, of the team. Fans are still waiting to see something of relevance from first-round pick Darqueze Dennard. Fans wouldn’t be waiting for production from, let’s say, Kelvin Benjamin who was taken by the Carolina Panthers just four picks later. Imagine an offense of A.J. Green on one side, and Kelvin Benjamin on the other. That would be rather scary for a defensive secondary to gameplay for. It could have happened. The Bengals could have also gotten their hands on offensive tackle Michael Schofield. He helped lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl just one year later. Schofield was taken after Bengals’ defensive lineman Will Clarke in the third round of this draft as was Green Bay Packers’ tight end Richard Rodgers, and Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiver Donte Moncrief.
It’s hard to sit here and say that the Bengals should have drafted any other player because you never know what kind of production they will provide as professionals. But one thing fans can speculate is what could have been.